PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-11917773-B2
Application Number: US-202117539745-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Systems and methods for magnetic barrier assembly

Abstract:
An embodiment of a barrier assembly includes a housing having an aperture and a magnet at least partially disposed within the housing. A first surface of the magnet is exposed. The barrier assembly also includes a light-emitting component disposed within the aperture. Another embodiment of a barrier assembly includes a housing having a plurality of apertures formed about a perimeter of the housing. The barrier assembly also includes a magnet at least partially embedded within the housing and the magnet includes an opening formed through a center of the magnet and a plurality of light-emitting components, each light-emitting component at least partially disposed within a corresponding aperture of the plurality of apertures.

Claims:
The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A barrier assembly, comprising:
 a housing comprising an aperture; 
 a plurality of magnets at least partially disposed within the housing and distributed about a perimeter of the housing; 
 a central rare-earth magnet at least partially disposed within the housing inwards from the perimeter of the housing and the plurality of magnets distributed about the perimeter of the housing; and 
 a light-emitting component disposed within the aperture. 
 
     
     
       2. The barrier assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the housing is formed of a material having an optical density of at least 3 at a thickness of 1 mm. 
     
     
       3. The barrier assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the central rare-earth magnet is embedded within the housing. 
     
     
       4. The barrier assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the housing is formed of an epoxy material. 
     
     
       5. The barrier assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the central rare-earth magnet comprises a samarium-cobalt magnet. 
     
     
       6. The barrier assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the central rare-earth magnet comprises a neodymium magnet. 
     
     
       7. The barrier assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the central rare-earth magnet has an opening formed therethrough, and the barrier assembly comprises circuitry at least partially disposed in the opening. 
     
     
       8. The barrier assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the aperture is formed adjacent the perimeter of the housing. 
     
     
       9. A barrier assembly, comprising:
 a housing comprising a plurality of apertures formed about a perimeter of the housing; 
 a magnet at least partially embedded within the housing, the magnet comprising an opening formed through a center of the magnet; 
 circuitry at least partially disposed in the opening formed through the center of the magnet; and 
 a plurality of light-emitting components, each light-emitting component at least partially disposed within a corresponding aperture of the plurality of apertures. 
 
     
     
       10. The barrier assembly of  claim 9 , comprising a plurality of magnets embedded within the housing. 
     
     
       11. The barrier assembly of  claim 10 , wherein the plurality of magnets is disposed about the perimeter of the housing. 
     
     
       12. The barrier assembly of  claim 10 , comprising a symmetrical arrangement of the plurality of magnets. 
     
     
       13. The barrier assembly of  claim 9 , wherein the housing comprises a second plurality of apertures formed about the perimeter of the housing. 
     
     
       14. The barrier assembly of  claim 13 , comprising a plurality of light sensors, each light sensor at least partially disposed within a corresponding aperture of the second plurality of apertures. 
     
     
       15. An electronic device, comprising:
 an enclosure; 
 a surface coupled to the enclosure; 
 a barrier assembly disposed adjacent to the surface, the barrier assembly comprising:
 a housing comprising a plurality of apertures formed about a perimeter of the housing; 
 a plurality of magnets embedded within the housing and disposed about the perimeter of the housing; 
 a plurality of light-emitting components, each light-emitting component at least partially disposed within a corresponding aperture of the plurality of apertures; and 
 a plurality of light sensors, each light sensor at least partially disposed within an additional corresponding aperture of the plurality of apertures, wherein each magnet of the plurality of magnets is positioned at least partially between a corresponding light sensor of the plurality of light sensors and a corresponding light-emitting component of the plurality of light-emitting components. 
 
 
     
     
       16. The electronic device of  claim 15 , wherein a surface of each magnet of the plurality of magnets is exposed. 
     
     
       17. The electronic device of  claim 15 , comprising a symmetrical arrangement of the plurality of magnets. 
     
     
       18. A barrier assembly, comprising:
 a housing comprising a plurality of apertures formed therethrough; 
 a plurality of light-emitting components, each light-emitting component at least partially disposed within a first corresponding aperture of the plurality of apertures; 
 a plurality of light sensors, each light sensor at least partially disposed within a second corresponding aperture of the plurality of apertures; 
 a plurality of magnets embedded within the housing and disposed about a perimeter of the housing, each magnet positioned at least partially between a corresponding light sensor and a corresponding light-emitting component, and wherein a surface of each magnet is exposed from the housing; 
 a central magnet disposed within the housing, the central magnet comprising an opening formed through a center of the central magnet; and 
 circuitry at least partially disposed in the opening. 
 
     
     
       19. The barrier assembly of  claim 1 , comprising:
 an additional aperture of the housing; and 
 a light sensor disposed in the additional aperture, wherein a magnet of the plurality of magnets is positioned at least partially between the light sensor and the light-emitting component. 
 
     
     
       20. The barrier assembly of  claim 9 , comprising:
 a plurality of light sensors, each light sensor at least partially disposed within an additional corresponding aperture of the plurality of apertures; and 
 a plurality of magnets at least partially disposed within the housing and distributed about a perimeter of the housing, wherein a magnet of the plurality of magnets is positioned at least partially between a light sensor of the plurality of light sensors and a light-emitting component of the plurality of light-emitting components.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/261,390, entitled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MAGNETIC BARRIER ASSEMBLY,” filed Sep. 20, 2021, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     The present disclosure relates generally to light barrier assemblies, and more specifically to light barrier assemblies including magnets and methods of forming light barrier assemblies. 
     Electronic devices may utilize wireless charging stations to charge onboard batteries and corresponding magnets in the electronic device to hold the electronic device in place during a charging session. However, large magnets may consume valuable space, increase weight, and be expensive to utilize in wearable electronic devices. 
     SUMMARY 
     A summary of certain embodiments disclosed herein is set forth below. It should be understood that these aspects are presented merely to provide the reader with a brief summary of these certain embodiments and that these aspects are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Indeed, this disclosure may encompass a variety of aspects that may not be set forth below. 
     In one embodiment, a barrier assembly includes a housing having an aperture and a magnet at least partially disposed within the housing. A first surface of the magnet is exposed. The barrier assembly also includes a light-emitting component disposed within the aperture. 
     In another embodiment, a barrier assembly includes a housing having a plurality of apertures formed about a perimeter of the housing, a magnet at least partially embedded within the housing, the magnet having an opening formed through a center of the magnet, and a plurality of light-emitting components, each light-emitting component at least partially disposed within a corresponding aperture of the plurality of apertures. 
     In yet another embodiment, a method of forming a barrier assembly includes placing a plurality of magnets on a substrate and depositing a material onto the substrate. The deposited material may at least partially cover the plurality of magnets. The method may also include removing the plurality of magnets and the deposited material from the substrate, forming an aperture through the deposited material, and assembling a light-emitting component at least partially within the aperture. 
     Various refinements of the features noted above may exist in relation to various aspects of the present disclosure. Further features may also be incorporated in these various aspects as well. These refinements and additional features may exist individually or in any combination. For instance, various features discussed below in relation to one or more of the illustrated embodiments may be incorporated into any of the above-described aspects of the present disclosure alone or in any combination. The brief summary presented above is intended only to familiarize the reader with certain aspects and contexts of embodiments of the present disclosure without limitation to the claimed subject matter. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Various aspects of this disclosure may be better understood upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings described below in which like numerals refer to like parts. 
         FIG.  1    is a block diagram of an electronic device, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  2    is a perspective view of a notebook computer representing an embodiment of the electronic device of  FIG.  1   ; 
         FIG.  3    is a front view of a handheld device representing another embodiment of the electronic device of  FIG.  1   ; 
         FIG.  4    is a front view of another handheld device representing another embodiment of the electronic device of  FIG.  1   ; 
         FIG.  5    is a front view of a desktop computer representing another embodiment of the electronic device of  FIG.  1   ; 
         FIG.  6    is a front view and side view of a wearable electronic device representing another embodiment of the electronic device of  FIG.  1   ; 
         FIG.  7    is a cross-sectional side view of the wearable electronic device of  FIG.  6    having a barrier assembly, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  8    is a cross-sectional top view of the barrier assembly of  FIG.  7   , according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  9    is a flowchart of a method for forming the barrier assembly of  FIG.  8   , according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  10    is a perspective diagram of a step of the method for forming the barrier assembly of  FIG.  8   , according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  11    is a perspective diagram of another step of the method for forming the barrier assembly of  FIG.  8   , according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and 
         FIG.  12    is a cross-sectional top view of the barrier assembly of  FIG.  8    having a number of apertures, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS 
     One or more specific embodiments will be described below. In an effort to provide a concise description of these embodiments, not all features of an actual implementation are described in the specification. It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers&#39; specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure. 
     When introducing elements of various embodiments of the present disclosure, the articles “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. Additionally, it should be understood that references to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” of the present disclosure are not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the recited features. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. Use of the term “approximately,” “near,” “about”, and/or “substantially” should be understood to mean including close to a target (e.g., design, value, amount), such as within a margin of any suitable or contemplatable error (e.g., within 0.1% of a target, within 1% of a target, within 5% of a target, within 10% of a target, within 25% of a target, and so on). 
     The presently disclosed embodiments include a light barrier assembly for a wearable electronic device and methods of forming the same. Each barrier assembly may include a housing that reduces and/or prevents light and/or optical transmission between light-emitting components and light sensors disposed in apertures of the housing. A set of magnets may be embedded in the housing and may enable magnetically coupling the wearable electronic device to a charging station. In some embodiments, the housing may be formed over the magnets and the housing may be formed of an epoxy material. 
     Turning first to  FIG.  1   , an electronic device  10  according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include, among other things, one or more processors  12  (collectively referred to herein as the “processor  12 ”), memory  14 , nonvolatile storage  16 , a display  18 , input structures  22 , an input/output (I/O) interface  24 , a network interface  26 , and a power source  28 . The various functional blocks shown in  FIG.  1    may include hardware elements (including circuitry), software elements (including computer code stored on a computer-readable medium) or a combination of both hardware and software elements. It should be noted that  FIG.  1    is merely one example of a particular implementation and is intended to illustrate the types of components that may be present in electronic device  10 . 
     By way of example, the electronic device  10  may represent a block diagram of the notebook computer depicted in  FIG.  2   , the handheld device depicted in  FIG.  3   , the handheld device depicted in  FIG.  4   , the desktop computer depicted in  FIG.  5   , the wearable electronic device depicted in  FIG.  6   , or similar devices. It should be noted that the processor  12  and other related items in  FIG.  1    may be embodied wholly or in part as software, firmware, hardware, or any combination thereof. Furthermore, the processor  12  and other related items in  FIG.  1    may be a single contained processing module or may be incorporated wholly or partially within any of the other elements within the electronic device  10 . 
     In the electronic device  10  of  FIG.  1   , the processor  12  may be operably coupled with a memory  14  and a nonvolatile storage  16  to perform various algorithms. Such programs or instructions executed by the processor  12  may be stored in any suitable article of manufacture that includes one or more tangible, computer-readable media. The tangible, computer-readable media may include the memory  14  and/or the nonvolatile storage  16 , individually or collectively, to store the instructions or routines. The memory  14  and the nonvolatile storage  16  may include any suitable articles of manufacture for storing data and executable instructions, such as random-access memory, read-only memory, rewritable flash memory, hard drives, and optical discs. In addition, programs (e.g., an operating system) encoded on such a computer program product may also include instructions that may be executed by the processor  12  to enable the electronic device  10  to provide various functionalities. 
     In certain embodiments, the display  18  may be a liquid crystal display (LCD), which may allow users to view images generated on the electronic device  10 . In some embodiments, the display  18  may include a touch screen, which may allow users to interact with a user interface of the electronic device  10 . Furthermore, it should be appreciated that, in some embodiments, the display  18  may include one or more organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays, or some combination of LCD panels and OLED panels. 
     The input structures  22  of the electronic device  10  may enable a user to interact with the electronic device  10  (e.g., pressing a button to increase or decrease a volume level). The I/O interface  24  may enable the electronic device  10  to interface with various other electronic devices, as may the network interface  26 . The network interface  26  may include, for example, one or more interfaces for a personal area network (PAN), such as a Bluetooth® or an ultra-wideband (UWB) network, for a local area network (LAN) or wireless local area network (WLAN), such as an 802.11x Wi-Fi network, for a wide area network (WAN), such as a 3rd generation (3G) cellular network, universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), 4th generation (4G) cellular network, long term evolution (LTE) cellular network, long term evolution license assisted access (LTE-LAA) cellular network, 5th generation (5G) cellular network, and/or 5G New Radio (5G NR) cellular network, and/or for a satellite network. In particular, the network interface  26  may include, for example, one or more interfaces for using a Release-15 cellular communication standard of the 5G specifications that include the millimeter wave (mmWave) frequency range (e.g., 24.25-300 GHz). A transceiver of the electronic device  10 , which includes a transmitter and a receiver, may allow communication over the aforementioned networks (e.g., 5G, Wi-Fi, LTE-LAA, and so forth). 
     The network interface  26  may also include one or more interfaces, for example, broadband fixed wireless access networks (WiMAX), mobile broadband Wireless networks (mobile WiMAX), asynchronous digital subscriber lines (e.g., ADSL, VDSL), digital video broadcasting-terrestrial (DVB-T) and its extension DVB Handheld (DVB-H), ultra-Wideband (UWB), alternating current (AC) power lines, and so forth. As further illustrated, the electronic device  10  may include a power source  28 . The power source  28  may include any suitable source of power, such as a rechargeable lithium polymer (Li-poly) battery and/or an alternating current (AC) power converter. 
     In certain embodiments, the electronic device  10  may take the form of a computer, a portable electronic device, a wearable electronic device, or other type of electronic device. Such computers may include computers that are generally portable (such as laptop, notebook, and tablet computers) as well as computers that are generally used in one place (such as desktop computers, workstations, and/or servers). In certain embodiments, the electronic device  10  in the form of a computer may be a model of a MacBook®, MacBook® Pro, MacBook Air®, iMac®, Mac® mini, or Mac Pro® available from Apple Inc. By way of example, the electronic device  10 , taking the form of a notebook computer  10 A, is illustrated in  FIG.  2    in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. The depicted computer  10 A may include a housing or enclosure  36 , a display  18 , input structures  22 , and ports of an I/O interface  24 . In one embodiment, the input structures  22  (such as a keyboard and/or touchpad) may be used to interact with the computer  10 A, such as to start, control, or operate a graphical user interface (GUI) or applications running on computer  10 A. For example, a keyboard and/or touchpad may allow a user to navigate a user interface or application interface displayed on display  18 . 
       FIG.  3    depicts a front view of a handheld device  10 B, which represents one embodiment of the electronic device  10 . The handheld device  10 B may represent, for example, a portable phone, a media player, a personal data organizer, a handheld game platform, or any combination of such devices. By way of example, the handheld device  10 B may be a model of an iPod® or iPhone® available from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, California. The handheld device  10 B may include an enclosure  36  to protect interior components from physical damage and to shield them from electromagnetic interference. The enclosure  36  may surround the display  18 . The I/O interfaces  24  may open through the enclosure  36  and may include, for example, an I/O port for a hardwired connection for charging and/or content manipulation using a standard connector and protocol, such as the Lightning connector provided by Apple Inc., a universal serial bus (USB), or other similar connector and protocol. 
     User input structures  22 , in combination with the display  18 , may allow a user to control the handheld device  10 B. For example, the input structures  22  may activate or deactivate the handheld device  10 B, navigate user interface to a home screen, a user-configurable application screen, and/or activate a voice-recognition feature of the handheld device  10 B. Other input structures  22  may provide volume control, or may toggle between vibrate and ring modes. The input structures  22  may also include a microphone that may obtain a user&#39;s voice for various voice-related features, and a speaker that may enable audio playback and/or certain phone capabilities. The input structures  22  may also include a headphone input that may provide a connection to external speakers and/or headphones. 
       FIG.  4    depicts a front view of another handheld device  10 C, which represents another embodiment of the electronic device  10 . The handheld device  10 C may represent, for example, a tablet computer, or one of various portable computing devices. By way of example, the handheld device  10 C may be a tablet-sized embodiment of the electronic device  10 , which may be, for example, a model of an iPad® available from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, California. 
     Turning to  FIG.  5   , a computer  10 D may represent another embodiment of the electronic device  10  of  FIG.  1   . The computer  10 D may be any computer, such as a desktop computer, a server, or a notebook computer, but may also be a standalone media player or video gaming machine. By way of example, the computer  10 D may be an iMac®, a MacBook®, or other similar device by Apple Inc. It should be noted that the computer  10 D may also represent a personal computer (PC) by another manufacturer. A similar enclosure  36  may be provided to protect and enclose internal components of the computer  10 D such as the display  18 . In certain embodiments, a user of the computer  10 D may interact with the computer  10 D using various peripheral input structures  22 , such as the keyboard  22 A or mouse  22 B, which may connect to the computer  10 D. 
     Similarly,  FIG.  6    depicts a wearable electronic device  10 E representing another embodiment of the electronic device  10  of  FIG.  1    that may be configured to operate using the techniques described herein. By way of example, the wearable electronic device  10 E, which may include a wristband  43 , may be an Apple Watch® by Apple Inc. However, in other embodiments, the wearable electronic device  10 E may include any wearable electronic device such as, for example, a wearable exercise monitoring device (e.g., pedometer, accelerometer, heart rate monitor), or other device by another manufacturer. The display  18  of the wearable electronic device  10 E may include a touch screen display  18  (e.g., LCD, OLED display, active-matrix organic light emitting diode (AMOLED) display, and so forth), as well as input structures  22 , which may allow users to interact with a user interface of the wearable electronic device  10 E. 
     With the foregoing in mind,  FIG.  7    is a cross-sectional view of the wearable electronic device  10 E, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The wearable electronic device  10 E may include a surface  30  coupled to the enclosure  36 . The surface  30  may be formed of a glass material, a crystal material, or a combination thereof. In certain embodiments, the surface  30  may have high optical transmission (e.g., at least 60%, at least 70%, at least 80%, and so forth) in a particular wavelength range (e.g., ultraviolet to infrared, visible light range, 100 nanometers to 1 millimeter, and so forth). The wearable electronic device  10 E may include a magnet  32  disposed in an interior cavity of the enclosure  36 . In some embodiments, the magnet  32  may couple the wearable electronic device  10 E to a charging station. For example, a corresponding magnet of the charging station may emit a magnetic field (e.g., having an opposite polarity to that of the magnet  32 ) that interacts with the magnet  32  to retain the wearable electronic device  10 E on the charging station. In certain embodiments, the magnet  32  may be a rare-earth magnet, such as a neodymium magnet, a samarium-cobalt magnet, or a combination thereof. For example, the magnet  32  may be formed of an alloy of neodymium, iron, and boron. A thickness  34  of the magnet  32  may be selected to ensure the wearable electronic device  10 E stays in place during a charging session. However, the thickness  34  of the magnet  32  may increase an overall size and associated manufacturing costs of the wearable electronic device  10 E. As such, reducing the size (e.g., the thickness  34 ) of the magnet  32  while maintaining or increasing strength of the magnetic field may decrease manufacturing costs of the wearable electronic device  10 E while ensuring that the wearable electronic device  10 E stays in place during a charging session. In some instances, the magnet  32  may be removed entirely from the interior of the enclosure  36  while maintaining the strength of the magnetic field by incorporating one or more magnets into the barrier assembly  40 . 
     The wearable electronic device  10 E may include the barrier assembly  40 . In some embodiments, the barrier assembly  40  may be disposed in the interior of the enclosure  36  and/or may be disposed at least partially between the surface  30  and circuitry  54 . For example, the barrier assembly  40  may be disposed adjacent the surface  30 . In certain embodiments, the barrier assembly  40  may be coupled to the surface  30 , such as by an adhesive layer or material. Additionally or alternatively, the barrier assembly  40  may be in contact with the surface  30  when disposed adjacent the surface  30 . For example, the barrier assembly  40  may be positioned against the surface  30  without any intervening layers and/or intermediate structures between the barrier assembly  40  and the surface  30 . Alternatively, the barrier assembly  40  may be separated from the surface  30  by one or more intermediate structures and/or intervening layers. In certain embodiments, the barrier assembly  40  may be disposed adjacent the surface  30  and separated by an air gap located between the barrier assembly  40  and the surface  30 . In some embodiments, the barrier assembly  40  may be disposed between the surface  30  and the magnet  32  and include any number of magnets, such as any number of rare-earth magnets. For example, the barrier assembly  40  may include any number of magnets embedded therein. Accordingly, the barrier assembly  40  and associated magnets may generate a magnetic field that supplements and/or replaces the magnetic field of the magnet  32  to couple the wearable electronic device  10 E to a charging station. The wearable electronic device  10 E may include the circuitry  54  disposed in the interior of the enclosure  36  and the circuitry  54  may include any number of components, such as the processor  12 , the memory  14 , the storage  16 , and/or the network interface  26  of  FIG.  1   . 
     With the foregoing in mind,  FIG.  8    is a cross-sectional top view of the barrier assembly  40 , according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As illustrated, the barrier assembly  40  may include a housing  42 , any number of apertures, such as aperture  44 , any number of light-emitting components (e.g., light-emitting components  46 A,  46 B,  46 C,  46 D), any number of light sensors (e.g., light sensors  48 A,  48 B,  48 C,  48 D), any number of magnets (e.g., magnets  50 A,  50 B,  50 C,  50 D,  50 E,  50 F,  50 G,  50 H,  50 I), and circuitry  56 . In certain embodiments, the housing  42  may be formed of a prepolymer material, a polymer material, or a combination thereof and may have a thickness of up to 300 microns (e.g., up to 400 microns, up to 500 microns, up to 600 microns, and so forth). For example, the housing  42  may be formed of an epoxy material (e.g., an epoxy resin) and the epoxy material may include carbon. In certain embodiments, an epoxy resin may be cured to form the housing  42 . For example, a curing material (e.g., a thiol material, an amine material, an anhydride material, an imidazole material, a photosensitive material, additional epoxy material, a phenol material, a catalyst material, or any combination thereof) may be added to the epoxy resin to form the housing  42 , heat may be applied to the epoxy material and/or the curing material, light may be applied to the epoxy material and/or the curing material, pressure may be applied to the epoxy material and/or the curing material, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the material of the housing  42  may be selected according to desired optical characteristics (e.g., an optical density of the material). The optical density of a material may be a logarithm of a ratio of incident radiant power to transmitted radiant power through a material. For example, the housing  42  may be formed of a material having an optical density of at least 2 (e.g., at least 3, at least 4, at least 5, and so forth) at a thickness of at least 0.5 millimeters (e.g., at least 0.75 mm, at least 1 mm, at least 1.25 mm, and so forth). 
     Any number of apertures, such as aperture  44 , may be formed at least partially through the housing  42 . As illustrated, eight apertures  44  are formed at least partially through the housing  42 . In some embodiments, each light-emitting component, such as the light-emitting components  46 A,  46 B,  46 C,  46 D, may be at least partially disposed in a corresponding aperture. The light-emitting components  46 A,  46 B,  46 C,  46 D, (collectively referred to as light-emitting components  46 ) may include one or more light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that may emit light in a visible frequency range (e.g., red light, green light, and so forth). In some embodiments, the light-emitting components  46  may emit flashes of light any number of times per second (e.g., up to 20 times per second, up to 50 times per second, up to 100 times per second, and so forth). The light-emitting components  46  may emit light through the surface  30  of the wearable electronic device  10 E and the emitted light may be absorbed by a material adjacent the surface  30 . For example, the wearable electronic device  10 E may be worn on a wrist of a user and the emitted light may be absorbed into and/or reflected by the user. 
     The light sensors  48 A,  48 B,  48 C,  48 D (collectively referred to as light sensors  48 ) may detect light, such as light reflected back through the surface  30  of the wearable electronic device  10 E. In certain embodiments, the light sensors  48  may be at least partially disposed in corresponding apertures of the housing  42 . As such, walls of the apertures may reduce and/or prevent light emitted from the light-emitting components  46  from travelling directly to the light sensors  48  (e.g., without passing through the surface  30 , without being absorbed by a material adjacent the surface  30 , without being reflected by the material adjacent the surface  30 , or any combination thereof). For example, the walls of the apertures may reduce and/or prevent light emitted by any of the light-emitting components  46  from traveling in a lateral direction (e.g., along lateral axis  58 A), in a longitudinal direction (e.g., along longitudinal axis  58 B), or a combination thereof and directly to any of the light sensors  48 . Accordingly, light may not travel directly between any of the light-emitting components  46  and the light sensors  48  in a plane formed by the lateral axis  58 A and the longitudinal axis  58 B. As such, the housing  42  may reduce and/or prevent unintended light propagation between the light-emitting components  46  and the light sensors  48 . In certain embodiments, the light sensors  48  may include one or more photodiodes, one or more photoresistors, one or more phototransistors, or any combination thereof. Additionally or alternatively, the light sensors  48  may detect light in a desired range (e.g., visible light, infrared light, ultraviolet light, ultraviolet light to infrared light, and so forth). 
     The magnets  50 A,  50 B,  50 C,  50 D,  50 E,  50 F,  50 G,  50 H,  50 I (collectively referred to as magnets  50 ) may include rare-earth magnets (e.g., one or more neodymium magnets, one or more samarium-cobalt magnets, or a combination thereof) and may emit a magnetic field to couple the wearable electronic device  10 E to a charging station. For example, the magnets  50  may be formed of an alloy of neodymium, iron, and boron. Each of the magnets  50  may be at least partially disposed in a corresponding aperture of the housing  42 . For example, each of the magnets  50  may be embedded within a portion of the housing  42 . Accordingly, a single surface of each magnet may be exposed (e.g., uncovered by the material of the housing  42 ) and any remaining surfaces of the magnet may be covered by the material of the housing  42 . In certain embodiments, the magnets  50 A,  50 B,  50 C,  50 D,  50  E,  50 F,  50 G,  50 H (collectively referred to as perimeter magnets) may be cylindrical in shape and/or have rounded edges, and may be disposed about a perimeter of the housing  42 . For example, the perimeter magnets may be spaced (e.g., symmetrically spaced, substantially symmetrically spaced, asymmetrically spaced) in a configuration about the perimeter of the housing  42 . 
     In certain embodiments, one or more of the perimeter magnets may be disposed in a first surface of the housing  42  and may be disposed adjacent a second surface of the housing  42  (e.g., adjacent the perimeter of the housing  42 , adjacent an edge of the housing  42 , and so forth). For example, the first surface of the housing  42  may be a front or top surface of the housing  42  and the second surface may be a side or outer surface of the housing  42 . The second surface of the housing  42  may be substantially perpendicular to the first surface of the housing  42 . The outer surface of the perimeter magnet may be flush with the second surface of the housing  42  at the perimeter of the housing  42 . Additionally or alternatively, a layer of housing material may be disposed between the outer surface of the perimeter magnet and the second surface of the housing  42 . For example, a threshold amount of housing material and/or a threshold distance (e.g., 1 nanometer (nm) or less, 10 nm or less, 1 micrometer (um) or less, 10 nm or less), 1 millimeter (mm) or less, 10 mm or less, and so on) may separate the outer surface of the perimeter magnet and the second surface of the housing  42 . A central magnet  50 I may be disposed about a center of the housing  42 . In certain embodiments, the central magnet  50 I may be larger (e.g., have a greater volume, have a greater surface area, have one or more greater dimensions) than each of the perimeter magnets  50 A,  50 B,  50 C,  50 D,  50 E,  50 F,  50 G,  50 H. Additionally or alternatively, the central magnet  50 I may have an opening formed at least partially therethrough. For example, the opening may include a bore formed through a center of the central magnet  50 I. The opening may be circular in shape and the circuitry  56  may be assembled and/or at least partially disposed in the opening of the central magnet  50 I. In certain embodiments, the circuitry  56  may include any number of semiconductors and/or the circuitry  56  may be embedded within the housing  42 . In some embodiments, the central magnet  50 I may be rectangular in shape and may have rounded edges. The barrier assembly  40  may include one or more of the perimeter magnets  50 A,  50 B,  50 C,  50 D,  50 E,  50 F,  50 G,  50 H, the central magnet  50 I, or a combination thereof. 
     With the foregoing in mind,  FIG.  9    is a flowchart of a method  60  for forming the barrier assembly  40  of  FIG.  8   , according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Any suitable device (e.g., a controller) may control components (e.g., laser cutter, sprayer, and so forth) that may perform the method  60 . In some embodiments, the method  60  may be implemented by executing instructions stored in a tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium. For example, the method  60  may be performed at least in part by one or more software components, such as an operating system, one or more software applications, and the like. While the method  60  is described using steps in a specific sequence, it should be understood that the present disclosure contemplates that the described steps may be performed in different sequences than the sequence illustrated, and certain described steps may be skipped or not performed altogether. 
     At block  62 , the magnets  50  may be aligned on the substrate  76 . For example, the magnets  50  may be spaced apart on the substrate  76  and the substrate  76  may support the magnets  50  and retain the magnets  50  in place on the substrate  76 . To illustrate,  FIG.  10    is a perspective diagram of the block  62  of the method  60  for forming the barrier assembly  40 , according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The block  62  may include placing the magnets  50  on a substrate  76  (e.g., a mounting plate). The magnets  50  may be aligned and/or arranged on the substrate  76  according to a desired pattern (e.g., symmetrically spaced, substantially symmetrically spaced, asymmetrically spaced). In some embodiments, the substrate  76  may include a surface  76 A to support the magnets  50  and the surface  76 A may be a high friction surface, an adhesive surface or a combination thereof to retain the magnets  50  in place on the surface  76 A of the substrate  76 . For example, the surface  76 A may include an adhesive strip or adhesive tape to retain the magnets  50 . Additionally or alternatively, the surface  76 A may include a coating (e.g., a thin film), such as a high friction coating, an adhesive coating, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the surface  76 A may include any number of indicators corresponding to proper placement and/or alignment of the magnets  50  on the substrate  76 . For example, the indicators may be painted on the surface  76 A, may be one or more grooves formed in the surface  76 A, may be one or more recesses formed in the surface  76 A to receive the magnets  50 , any other suitable indicator, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the substrate  76  may include an adhesive surface, a high friction surface, a surface having one or more recesses, or any combination thereof for retaining the magnets. 
     Once the magnets  50  are placed correctly on the substrate  76 , the housing  42  of the barrier assembly  40  may be formed. At block  64 , housing material may be deposited over the magnets  50  and/or the substrate  76  to form the housing  42 . For example, the housing material may be an epoxy material and the epoxy material may be deposited over the magnets  50  such that the magnets  50  become embedded in the housing  42 . To illustrate,  FIG.  11    is a perspective diagram of the block  64  of the method  60  for forming the barrier assembly  40 , according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The block  64  may include forming the housing  42  by depositing a material over the magnets  50  and/or the substrate  76 . For example, the housing  42  may be formed by spraying the housing material over the magnets  50  and/or the substrate  76 , electrocoating with the housing material, painting with the housing material, pouring the housing material over the magnets  50  and/or the substrate  76 , spreading the housing material over the magnets  50  and/or the substrate  76 , any other suitable deposition method, or any combination thereof. After depositing the housing material, the magnets  50  may be embedded within the housing  42  such that up to five surfaces of each magnet may be covered by the housing material. Additionally or alternatively, at least one surface of each magnet may be at least partially exposed (e.g., uncovered by the housing material) from the housing  42 . Due to the placement of the magnets  50  on the substrate  76 , the housing  42  may be substantially flush with an exposed surface of one or more of the magnets  50 . At block  66 , the magnets  50  and the housing  42  may be compression molded. For example, the magnets  50  may be compressed between the substrate  76  and the housing  42  to embed the magnets  50  in the housing  42 . In some embodiments, heat may be applied to the housing  42 , the magnets  50 , and/or the substrate  76  during the compression molding process. Additionally or alternatively, the epoxy material of the housing  42  may be at least partially cured during the compression molding process. 
     At block  68 , the substrate  76  may be removed from the magnets  50  and/or the housing  42 . For example, the substrate  76  may be separated from the magnets  50  and/or the housing  42  by exerting a force on the substrate  76 , by removing (e.g., machining, cutting, etching, scraping, and so forth) the material of the substrate  76 , or any other suitable process. At block  70 , the housing  42  may be cured. For example, compressive forces, heat, light, or any combination thereof may be applied to the housing  42  and/or the magnets  50  to cure the epoxy material of the housing  42 . 
     After forming the housing  42  over the magnets  50 , apertures may be formed in the housing  42  to house one or more components of the wearable electronic device  10 E. At block  72 , any number of apertures may be formed in the housing  42 . For example, the apertures may be formed by laser dicing, laser cutting, laser ablation, machining, cutting, drilling, any other suitable method, or any combination thereof. With the foregoing in mind,  FIG.  12    is a cross-sectional top view of the barrier assembly  40  including a number of apertures  44 A,  44 B,  44 C,  44 D,  44 E,  44 F,  44 G,  44 H, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. After depositing the housing  42  over the magnets  50 , the substrate  76  may be separated from the housing  42  and the magnets  50  and the apertures  44 A,  44 B,  44 C,  44 D,  44 E,  44 F,  44 G,  44 H (collectively referred to as apertures  44 ) may be formed through the housing  42 . The apertures  44  may be formed by any suitable method, such as laser dicing, laser cutting, laser ablation, drilling, waterjet cutting, plasma cutting, or any combination thereof. In certain embodiments, the apertures  44  may be configured to house one or more light-emitting components (e.g., LEDs) and/or one or more light sensors. The apertures  44  may be disposed about (e.g., symmetrically spaced, substantially symmetrically spaced, asymmetrically spaced) the perimeter of the housing  42 . In some embodiments, the apertures  44  may be formed in a first surface of the housing  42  and may be disposed adjacent a second surface of the housing  42  (e.g., adjacent the perimeter of the housing  42 , adjacent an edge of the housing  42 , and so forth). For example, the first surface of the housing  42  may be a front or top surface and the second surface may be a side or outer surface. The second surface may be substantially perpendicular to the second surface. Additionally or alternatively, walls of the apertures  44  may separate the apertures  44  from the second surface of the housing  42 . For example, a threshold amount of housing material and/or a threshold distance (e.g., 1 nanometer (nm) or less, 10 nm or less, 1 micrometer (um) or less, 10 nm or less), 1 millimeter (mm) or less, 10 mm or less, and so on) may separate the apertures  44  from the second surface of the housing  42 . In certain embodiments, the apertures  44 B,  44 D,  44 F,  44 H (collectively referred to as light-emitting component apertures) may be cylindrical in shape and may be spaced (e.g., symmetrically spaced, substantially symmetrically spaced, asymmetrically spaced), about the perimeter of the housing  42 . The apertures  44 A,  44 C,  44 E,  44 G (collectively referred to as light sensor apertures) may be formed in the housing at a threshold distance from any of the light-emitting component apertures. As such, walls of the apertures may reduce and/or prevent light emitted from the light-emitting components  46  from travelling directly to the light sensors  48  (e.g., without passing through the surface  30 , without being absorbed by a material adjacent the surface  30 , without being reflected by the material adjacent the surface  30 , or any combination thereof). For example, the walls of the apertures may reduce and/or prevent light emitted by any of the light-emitting components  46  from traveling in a lateral direction (e.g., along lateral axis  58 A), in a longitudinal direction (e.g., along longitudinal axis  58 B), or a combination thereof and directly to any of the light sensors  48 . Accordingly, the housing  42  may reduce and/or prevent unintended light propagation between the light-emitting components  46  and the light sensors  48 . For example, a threshold amount of material of the housing  42  may be disposed between any of the light sensor apertures and any of the light-emitting component apertures such that the housing  42  may reduce and/or prevent emitted light from one or more of the light-emitting components  46  from directly entering one or more of the light sensors  48 . Accordingly, light may not travel directly between any of the light-emitting components  46  and the light sensors  48  in a plane formed by the lateral axis  58 A and the longitudinal axis  58 B. The light sensor apertures may be substantially rectangular in shape. An opening  78  may be formed through the central magnet  50 I. For example, the opening  78  may include a bore formed through a center of the central magnet  50 I. The opening  78  may also be formed through a center of the housing  42 . In certain embodiments, circuitry of the wearable electronic device  10 E may be assembled and at least partially disposed in the opening  78 . 
     At block  74 , one or more components of the wearable electronic device  10 E may be assembled in corresponding apertures of the housing  42 . As shown in  FIG.  8   , a light-emitting component  46 , a light sensor  48 , one or more LEDs, circuitry, or any other suitable component may be assembled in the formed apertures of the housing  42 . In this manner, the method  60  may enable forming the barrier assembly  40  of  FIG.  8   . 
     By employing the techniques described in the present disclosure, the systems and methods described herein may allow for the reduction in size and costs of a wearable electronic device. Further, embedding magnets in the barrier assembly housing may ensure the wearable electronic device stays in place on a charging station during a charging session. 
     The specific embodiments described above have been shown by way of example, and it should be understood that these embodiments may be susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms. It should be further understood that the claims are not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed, but rather to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. 
     It is well understood that the use of personally identifiable information should follow privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmental requirements for maintaining the privacy of users. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and handled so as to minimize risks of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly indicated to users. 
     The techniques presented and claimed herein are referenced and applied to material objects and concrete examples of a practical nature that demonstrably improve the present technical field and, as such, are not abstract, intangible or purely theoretical. Further, if any claims appended to the end of this specification contain one or more elements designated as “means for [perform]ing [a function] . . . ” or “step for [perform]ing [a function] . . . ,” it is intended that such elements are to be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f). However, for any claims containing elements designated in any other manner, it is intended that such elements are not to be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f).

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20211201
Publication Date: 20240227
Grant Date: 20240227
Priority Date: 20210920
Inventors: LIU, SAIJIN
JIANG, TONGBI T.
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H05K5/02", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G01V8/20", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01F7/02", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G01V8/20", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K5/02", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01F38/14", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01F7/0247", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01F7/02", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G01V8/20", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 85571504