Patent Application
20250141094
This application relates generally to wearable devices and, more particularly, to wearable devices having replaceable radio frequency identification (RFID) antennas.
Traditional wearable devices may be installed and removed from wearable mounts. In the installation and removing of the wearable devices, antennas connected to the wearable device might encounter wear and tear as the cable connecting the antenna to the wearable device will have tension and shear forces applied to it as the user moves the wearable device around.
Accordingly, there is a need for improved wearable devices that can easily be disconnected from other attachable elements such as antennas.
In some use cases, wearable devices having an RFID radio/radio with read/write capabilities, and two or more directional RFID antennas oriented in different directions are desired. One directional RFID antenna is inward facing, such as toward the user or below the wrist (e.g., disposed on the inside of the user's wrist or below the wrist and having a directional radiation pattern oriented for reading RFID tags on packages located on the inside of the user's hand and/or wrist), and another directional RFID antenna is outward facing from the user (e.g., in various embodiments, disposed on top of the user's hand or on the outside of the user's wrist and having a directional radiation pattern oriented for RFID communication sessions directed away from a user, such as toward a car/van/truck location adjacent to the user). In the illustrated embodiments, the components of wearable devices are distributed across a user's fingers, the back of their hand, the upper side of the user's wrist and the lower side the user's wrist to lower the profile of the wearable device. This also increases flexibility and distributes weight for comfort. In some embodiments, Bluetooth interconnections reduce interference with wrist and knuckle movements. There are many configurations possible. In one embodiment, one or both of the directional RFID antennas are activated based upon the object type and/or location of the object with which the wearable device is or will interface (e.g., activated automatically or manually via a user interface on the wearable device's display, including in response to a “screen” or “location” within an application running on the device). In an embodiment, the directional RFID antennas are integrated into a wrist and finger mounted support on which an RFID radio is disposed.
In an embodiment, the described disclosure includes a system comprising: a device mount; a cable configured to be removably secured within a channel set in the device mount; a first retaining element disposed on the cable, the first retaining element configured to secure the cable to the device mount via a first securing element and a second securing element; and a second retaining element disposed along the cable within the channel, the second retaining element configured to restrain movement of the cable within the channel.
Further embodiments including wherein the first securing element is a biased tab configured to secure the cable within the channel; and the second securing element is a first fastener element within the channel configured to receive a second fastener element through the first fastener element.
In another embodiment the channel has a channel width further comprising a section of the channel wherein the section has a section width; the section width is greater than the channel width; and the section is configured to receive a portion of the cable that is wider than the remaining cable.
In another further embodiment, the cable is connected to an antenna. Additionally, in an embodiment the antenna is configured to transmit a radio frequency identification (RFID) signal.
Additionally, or alternatively, in an embodiment, the securing apparatus is at least one biased connector and the at least one actuator acts against a biased force to move the at least one biased connector.
In a further embodiment, the first fastener element is configured to receive a fastener.
Alternatively, or additionally, in a further embodiment, a trigger attached to a data port of the device mount, wherein the data port aligns and mates with an installed device. Further, another embodiment includes wherein the trigger actuates a data capture process within the device.
In another embodiment, the device mount is configured to be worn on a user's hand.
In another further embodiment, a replaceable antenna arrangement configured to be installed within a mount, the replaceable antenna comprising: an antenna located on a first end of a cable; an antenna data connection located on a second end of the cable; a first restricting element configured to have a first securing element and a second securing element, the first restricting element positioned adjacent to the antenna data connection along the cable; and a second restricting element positioned between the first restricting element and the antenna.
In another embodiment, the cable is configured to be received by a channel set into the mounting element. Further, in another embodiment, the replaceable antenna is installed into the mounting element and a device is secured to the mounting element and aligns with the antenna.
In another embodiment, the second restricting element is a cylindrical collar positioned around the cable, the second restricting element having a friction press fit within the mounting element.
In a further embodiment, the first securing element is a biased tab configured to secure the cable within the channel; and the second securing element is a first fastener element within the channel configured to receive a second fastener element through the first fastener element.
Having thus described the invention in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure.
The apparatus and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present disclosure so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.
The disclosed embodiments will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all embodiments of the disclosure are shown. Indeed, the disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.
In the depicted embodiment, the device 100 is modular. The device 100 includes various units that can be combined to form different devices that are capable of different operations. The depicted device 100 is configured for installation onto a mount 200 such that the device 100 is secured to the user for ease of use. The device 100 as depicted in
When the RFID antenna 108 is separate from the device 100, a cable 106 is required for data communication between the RFID antenna 108 and the device 100. Through repeated use of the RFID antenna and cable 106, and the device 100 being transferred user to user, the cable 106 may need to be replaced from time to time after wear and tear to both the cable 106 and the connector element described further below. Having a quick and simplified method for replacing the RFID antenna 108 is advantageous to the end user as it will save time and therefore costs from other options that do not allow for RFID antenna removal from the device 100.
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The receiving tabs 210 of the mount 200 align with the securing ports 406 of the device 100 such that the device 100 cannot move laterally in relation to the mount 200. Corner 500 of the device 100 includes a radio port (not seen in this view), which aligns during installation with the data connector 250.
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In the depicted embodiment, the I/O pins 304 includes three pins. The three pins are linearly arranged and configured with a center pin and two outer pins positioned on each side the center pin. As depicted, the center pin is a signal pin, and the two outer pins are ground. This arrangement allows the preservation of the co-axial connection and controlled impedance through the antenna cable connector, where the spacing between the pins has an impact on impedance and insertion loss. In other embodiments, the I/O pin arrangement includes more than three pins. A person skilled in the art would understand that additional pins result in a better impedance match across the interface, which results in less signal loss through the interface.
A feature of the antenna signal connector 250 (or antenna cable connector) contact points includes ease of connection with the device 100. As described above, the device 100 is pivoted downward into securement with the mount 200, which aligns the radio port 404 with the I/O pins 304, the radio port 404 as seen in
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If the RFID antenna is damaged and needs to be replaced, a user would be able to take steps to remove the damaged RFID antenna and cable 106 and replace the antenna and cable 106 without needing to replace the entire device 100. During removal, the user would have to detach both the first and second retaining elements 252 and 254 respectively. To detach the first retaining element 252, the user first removes the fastener element within element 256. Once the fastener element is removed, the user then actuates the tab element 258 away from the first retaining element 252, which causes the tab element 258 to disengage with the slot 260. The user may then remove the cable 106 from the mount 200 and install a replacement cable via steps described above.
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As depicted on the bottom side 420 of the device 100, the communication port 408 is configured to receive signals from the trigger element. The actuation of the trigger element by the user will send a signal to the device 100 causing the device to initiate a data capture procedure such as RFID data capture. While the device 100 is connected to an RFID antenna for signal transmission, the device 100 may also be configured for image capturing or barcode scanning through a window 412 depicted in
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In the foregoing specification, specific embodiments have been described. However, one of ordinary skill in the art appreciates that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure as set forth in the claims below. Accordingly, the specification and figures are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of present teachings.
The benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any element(s) that may cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced are not to be construed as a critical, required, or essential features or elements of any or all the claims. The invention is defined solely by the appended claims including any amendments made during the pendency of this application and all equivalents of those claims as issued.
Moreover, in this document, relational terms such as first and second, top and bottom, and the like may be used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “has”, “having,” “includes”, “including,” “contains”, “containing” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises, has, includes, contains a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. An element proceeded by “comprises . . . a”, “has . . . a”, “includes . . . a”, “contains . . . a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises, has, includes, contains the element. The terms “a” and “an” are defined as one or more unless explicitly stated otherwise herein. The terms “substantially”, “essentially”, “approximately”, “about” or any other version thereof, are defined as being close to as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, and in one non-limiting embodiment the term is defined to be within 10%, in another embodiment within 5%, in another embodiment within 1% and in another embodiment within 0.5%. The term “coupled” as used herein is defined as connected, although not necessarily directly and not necessarily mechanically. A device or structure that is “configured” in a certain way is configured in at least that way, but may also be configured in ways that are not listed.
Certain expressions may be employed herein to list combinations of elements. Examples of such expressions include: “at least one of A, B, and C”; “one or more of A, B, and C”; “at least one of A, B, or C”; “one or more of A, B, or C”. Unless expressly indicated otherwise, the above expressions encompass any combination of A and/or B and/or C.
The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided to allow the reader to quickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, it can be seen that various features are grouped together in various embodiments for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed embodiments require more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separately claimed subject matter.
