Patent Application
20240114280
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to audio headphones. In particular, the present disclosure relates to headphones having removable batteries.
Headphones and headsets are used to play audio for users of electronic devices. Headphones come in a variety of types, styles, and forms. Most conventional models of headphones are either in-ear, on-ear, or over-ear headphones. Each type of headphone may have noise-cancelling abilities to suppress ambient noise, distractions, or other undesired sounds. Conventional headphones typically have fixed rechargeable batteries, though some may be compatible with single-use, replaceable batteries (e.g., alkaline).
In most cases, headphones include an earpiece for a right ear and another earpiece for a left ear, with a speaker system built into each earpiece. In-ear headphones may have a headband or other mounting system that allows a user to wear the headphones on their head with the earpieces making contact with their ears. In-ear headphones, on the other hand, may have a cord to connect the earpieces to a power source, or, they may be wireless and connect via a short-range wireless-communication protocol (e.g., Bluetooth™) to a sound source.
For over-ear headphones, the earpiece may have a cushion or soft portion that makes contact with the user's ear or head, a front housing that protects the batteries and cables of the speaker system, and a base or mounting portion where the battery is located and where the earpiece connects with a band to be worn around the head. Many over-ear headphones also have a manual volume control to increase or decrease the volume of the audio played through the headphones. In cases in which the battery requires service, gaining access typically requires removing the cushion, removing the front-housing assembly to access the battery, and removing other cables and components in order to reach the battery itself. Special tools are often required to open the headphone housing, or to reach the battery from underneath the adhesive or other material retaining it in place. In other words, this process typically requires expert service by the manufacturer or a trained service provider, and cannot be carried out by a casual user.
Rechargeable batteries have a limited useful lifespan, typically 2-3 years or less depending on the consistency and duration of use and recharging. Certain features and uses also can reduce a battery's lifecycle, and drain the battery much quicker while in use. For instance, listening to audio at high volumes, and active noise-cancelling are a few of the many features that can contribute to a shorter battery lifecycle. Once a headphone battery is no longer effectively rechargeable, it must either be replaced, or the headphones must be discarded and a new pair must be purchased. Many users expect or desire a longer lifespan from their headphones for cost and/or environmental reasons. Conventionally, the replacement and serviceability of a headphone component like the battery has been time-consuming, requiring an extensive amount of dismantling in order to reach the battery, as previously discussed. Accordingly, it has been neither practical nor cost-effective.
Further, the majority of wireless headsets use lithium-ion batteries that are integrated into the design of the headphone to make it more sleek and compact. When the batteries are fully integrated into the headphone, they are ordinarily not replaceable without risking damage to the device in the process of removing the battery. Accordingly, removing a dead or damaged battery to service or replace it has not been a simple task. Due to the difficulty of removing the battery from the headphones, most users are left with only one option-purchasing a new device.
The present disclosure relates to a headphone with a removable battery that may be easily accessed for service or replacement. In one aspect, the headphone may have a modular control wheel that is located on the back of the earpiece. For instance, the control wheel may be rotated clockwise or counterclockwise to increase or decrease the volume. In some examples, the earpiece defines a pocket or cavity to retain the battery. While disposed within the cavity, the battery can be in contact with the control wheel. The control wheel may be a modular, standalone component such that, when the control wheel is removed from the earpiece, the battery pack may be conveniently replaced externally from the earpiece housing, rather than requiring removal of several additional components from the earpiece housing to reach the battery pack.
In some examples, the modular control wheel may be removably attached to the earpiece using a “screw and hook” method. For instance, the earpiece of the headphone may have a removable screw concealed under an arm of the headband. Within the earpiece, a hook may be used to hold the control wheel module in place. After removing the screw, the control wheel can be rotated and dislodged from the bottom hook connecting the control wheel module to the earpiece. The screw on the housing of the earpiece may be either externally or internally positioned according to different designs. The hook may latch onto a stationary latch or loop within the housing of the earpiece, and is configured to detach from the latch or loop when the control wheel module is rotated.
In some examples, the control wheel may be attached to the earpiece using one or more magnets, and one or more metal pins. The magnetic attractive force between the one or more magnets and the one or more metal pins retains the control wheel in place. Similar to the example referenced above, the battery pack may be housed within the control wheel. To remove the control wheel, a user need only “unplug” the control wheel module from the earpiece, separating the one or more magnets from the one or more metal pins. Each of the one or more metal pins may have a wing protrusion to lock the control wheel into place, thereby preventing it from turning.
In some examples, the earpiece includes a bayonet-type coupling mechanism. In such examples, one or more bayonet grips located on the control wheel may be positioned into corresponding slots or grooves located on the earpiece. The connection is made by twisting and compressing one component into the other (i.e., a “press and twist” connection). Precise alignment of the tight-tolerance pieces ensures that the face of the control wheel module is parallel to, and flush against, the surface of the earpiece. To remove the control wheel, a user may press on the flat surface of the control wheel and simultaneously twist the control wheel to dislodge it, thereby disconnecting it from the base of the earpiece.
In some examples, a screw that is shorter in length may be inserted into the side of the front housing of the earpiece. The screw may be located on the external surface of the front housing for convenient access and removal. The screw may be inserted into a corresponding groove or slot on the perimeter of the front housing, thereby locking the control wheel module into place on the front housing of the earpiece. To remove the control wheel module, the user need only use a screwdriver or other suitable tool to remove the screw from the front housing, and unlock the control wheel from the front housing of the earpiece.
The above summary is not intended to describe each illustrated embodiment or every implementation of the subject matter hereof. The figures and the detailed description that follow more particularly exemplify various embodiments.
Subject matter hereof may be more completely understood in consideration of the following detailed description of various embodiments in connection with the accompanying figures, in which:
While various embodiments are amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the intention is not to limit the claimed inventions to the particular embodiments described. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the subject matter as defined by the claims.
The present disclosure is directed to structures and methods for the serviceability of headphone devices, e.g., to service and/or replace a battery or other components. In some examples, serviceability and replacement may be achieved via a modular control wheel that is removably attached to the headphone housing. The control wheel may be a stand-alone component of the headphone, and removably attachable thereto using various methods. The control wheel may be a volume control, a noise-canceling feature, or another feature related to use of the headphones.
In accordance with techniques of this disclosure, earpiece 100 includes a modular control wheel 108. Control wheel 108 is configured to provide dual functionality. First, control wheel 108 defines a user-input mechanism, enabling manual control over an audio function of earpiece 100, such as volume, noise-cancelation, or the like. For instance, control wheel 108 is configured to rotate in clockwise and counterclockwise directions relative to housing 104 in order to increase/decrease the volume, adjust the active noise-cancelling functions, adjust the transparency mode level, or other functions, as assigned by suitable software. In some examples, control wheel module 108 may include a decoder disk that transfers a mechanical rotation into a signal to be sensed by a sensor on the printed circuit board assembly, e.g., of the electrical components within housing 104. Additionally or alternatively, an exterior surface of control wheel 108 may be touch-sensitive, enabling several touch-based user-input functions, such as a single tap, a double tap, press-and-hold, swipe up/down, swipe left/right, and other suitable touch patterns. Each touch pattern may be programmably assigned to a different function.
Second, control wheel 108 includes a removable-attachment mechanism for convenient removal from the rest of housing 104, thereby providing non-destructive access to the internal components of housing 104. In this way, a user may access and repair or replace battery 114 or another internal component of housing 104, as needed.
In some examples, such as the example shown in
As illustrated in
As referenced above, earpiece 100 includes at least one attachment mechanism enabling a user to removably attach control wheel 108 to the rest of housing 104, and detach control wheel 108 from housing 104, as desired.
As shown in
To remove the control wheel module 108, a user need only manually “unplug” the control wheel module 108 from housing 104, separating the one or more magnets 604 from the metal pins 602. In some examples, as shown in
To removably attach control wheel 108 to the housing 104, the user simply aligns bayonet grips 702 with the corresponding slots 704, and then twists the flat exterior surface 120 relative to housing 104 to lock them together. To remove control wheel 108, the user presses on the flat exterior surface 120 of the control wheel 108 and in the opposite direction to dislodge and disconnect it from the housing 104. The flat exterior surface 120 may twist in a clockwise, or counterclockwise direction, depending on the placement of the bayonet grips 702. Wheel body 124 only need to rotate by about 5 to 8 degrees for the control wheel 108 to attach/detach from the housing 104.
In certain examples, placement of screw-bore 804 on the perimeter of the front housing 104 can serve both functional and aesthetic purposes. For instance, external placement of screw-bore 804 enables convenient access to screw 802 and removal of control wheel 108. Further, positioning screw-bore 804 on the side or perimeter of housing 104 isolates the attachment mechanism 800 from other internal components of housing 104, thereby reducing the impact on the overall functional design of earpiece 100.
In a fifth example attachment mechanism (not shown), earpiece 100 includes a pin configured to insert into the front housing 104, thereby locking control wheel 108 in position. The earpiece 100 can include a rubber lock to seal over the head of the pin and isolate acoustic vibrations produced by the earpiece 100. To remove control wheel 108, e.g., to replace battery 114, the user can pull the front housing 104 away from the rubber lock to expose the head of the pin, which may then be removed. Similar to the examples discussed above, placement of the pin on an external surface of the earpiece 100 allows for convenient removal of control wheel 108 without any dismantling. Further, the pin may be concealed as in the first and fourth examples, and not affect the overall design of the earpiece 100.
Various embodiments of systems, devices, and methods have been described herein. These embodiments are given only by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the claimed inventions. It should be appreciated, moreover, that the various features of the embodiments that have been described may be combined in various ways to produce numerous additional embodiments. Moreover, while various materials, dimensions, shapes, configurations and locations, etc. have been described for use with disclosed embodiments, others besides those disclosed may be utilized without exceeding the scope of the claimed inventions.
Persons of ordinary skill in the relevant arts will recognize that the subject matter hereof may comprise fewer features than illustrated in any individual embodiment described above. The embodiments described herein are not meant to be an exhaustive presentation of the ways in which the various features of the subject matter hereof may be combined. Accordingly, the embodiments are not mutually exclusive combinations of features; rather, the various embodiments can comprise a combination of different individual features selected from different individual embodiments, as understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art. Moreover, elements described with respect to one embodiment can be implemented in other embodiments even when not described in such embodiments unless otherwise noted.
Although a dependent claim may refer in the claims to a specific combination with one or more other claims, other embodiments can also include a combination of the dependent claim with the subject matter of each other dependent claim or a combination of one or more features with other dependent or independent claims. Such combinations are proposed herein unless it is stated that a specific combination is not intended.
Any incorporation by reference of documents above is limited such that no subject matter is incorporated that is contrary to the explicit disclosure herein. Any incorporation by reference of documents above is further limited such that no claims included in the documents are incorporated by reference herein. Any incorporation by reference of documents above is yet further limited such that any definitions provided in the documents are not incorporated by reference herein unless expressly included herein.
For purposes of interpreting the claims, it is expressly intended that the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) are not to be invoked unless the specific terms “means for” or “step for” are recited in a claim.
