JP2020140175A - Spectacle-type wearable device and charging device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a spectacle-type wearable device that looks good not only in a frame part but also in a temple part and its charging device.SOLUTION: A spectacle-type wearable device includes a frame 10 and a pair of temples 20a and 20b that are openably connected to the frame 10. Each of the pair of temples includes a functional unit 21a or 21b including a sound collection unit, a bone conduction speaker unit, and a wireless communication unit. The functional unit of each temple is capable of wireless communication with each other. At least one of the pair of temples further includes a power supply unit 22a or 22b and a charging unit 23a or 23b for supplying power to the functional unit. The charging unit is shielded when the temples are open and is exposed when the temples are closed. When a charging device is installed inside a charging device body part in the state where the spectacle-type wearable device is closed, the body part is shrunk and thereby a pair of connection units and the pair of charging units 23a and 23b can be connected or touched.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to a spectacle-type wearable device and a charging device for charging the spectacle-type wearable device.

Conventionally, glasses in which a bone conduction speaker is arranged at the tip (modern part) of the temple of the glasses are known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In these glasses, a sound signal from an external sound output device is output to the bone conduction speaker, and as a result, the sound is transmitted to the wearer of the glasses.

Further, Patent Document 2 discloses eyewear in which the bone conduction speaker is arranged at the rear end of the temple in order to securely press the bone conduction speaker against the wearer's head.

Such eyewear requires the supply of power to the bone conduction speaker. Therefore, Patent Document 2 discloses a technique of providing a connector connectable to a micro USB connector for charging a battery on the lower surface of a front end portion of a temple.

JP-A-2007-72015 JP-A-2018-56698

The fact that the connector is provided on the underside of the temple, which is visible from the outside when worn, has a considerable effect on the design of eyewear. It is conceivable to provide a cap to hide the connector, but on the contrary, the time and effort required for charging will increase.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a spectacle-type wearable device and a charging device thereof, which do not impair the design and enhance the functionality at the time of charging.

The spectacle-type wearable device of the present invention is a spectacle-type wearable device including a frame and a pair of temples that are openably and closably connected to the frame, and each of the pair of temples has a sound collecting unit, a bone conduction speaker unit, and a radio. It has a functional unit including a communication unit, the functional units of each temple can wirelessly communicate with each other, and at least one of the pair of temples further has a power supply unit and a charging unit for supplying power to the functional unit. The charging unit is characterized in that the temple is shielded in the open state and exposed in the closed state.

When only one of the pair of temples has a power supply, the spectacle-type wearable device can further include an elastic wire for connecting the power supply and the functional portion of the other of the temples.

At least one of the pair of temples further has a sensor unit for detecting the state of the eyeglass-type wearable device, and the power supply unit has the sensor unit changed from the closed state to the open state of at least one of the pair of temples. When this is detected, the power supply to the functional unit can be started.

The power supply unit can stop the supply of power to the functional unit when the sensor unit detects that at least one of the pair of temples has changed from the open state to the closed state.

When the sensor unit detects that at least one of the pair of temples has changed from the closed state to the open state, the wireless communication unit can start the synchronization processing of the bone conduction speaker of each of the pair of temples. ..

Each of the pair of temples can be provided with an interference prevention unit for preventing interference between the sound collecting unit and the bone conduction speaker.

The charging unit is charged by connecting or contacting a connecting portion of a charging device including a main body portion that can be expanded and contracted in the longitudinal direction and a pair of connecting portions provided in portions facing each other in the longitudinal direction of the main body portion. Can be done.

The charging device of the present invention is a spectacle-type wearable device including a frame and a pair of temples that are openably and closably connected to the frame, and each of the pair of temples is shielded in the open state and closed. A charging device for charging an eyeglass-type wearable device having an exposed charging portion, which is a main body portion that can be expanded and contracted in the longitudinal direction and a pair of connecting portions provided in portions facing each other in the longitudinal direction of the main body portion. When the eyeglass-type wearable device is installed inside the main body in the closed state, the pair of connecting parts and the pair of charging parts can be connected or contacted by shrinking the main body. To do.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a spectacle-type wearable device and a charging device thereof that look good not only in the frame portion but also in the temple portion as compared with the conventional eyewear.

It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the structure of the eyeglass type wearable apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the structure of the eyeglass type wearable apparatus (closed state) which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the structure of the eyeglass type wearable apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows another example of the structure of the eyeglass type wearable apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the structure of the eyeglass type wearable apparatus (open state) which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the eyeglass type wearable apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the charging device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows another example of the charging device which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

An embodiment of the spectacle-type wearable device and the charging device of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, the spectacle-type wearable device 100 of the present invention includes a frame 10 and a pair of temples 20a and 20b that are openably and closably connected to the frame 10.

As shown in FIG. 2, each of the pair of temples has functional units 21a and 21b including a sound collecting unit, a bone conduction speaker unit and a wireless communication unit, and the functional units 21a and 21b of each temple communicate wirelessly with each other. It is possible and realizes a true wireless structure. Note that FIG. 2 shows the functional unit 21a on the temple 20a side. Hereinafter, the configurations of the temple 20a and the temple 20b shall be the same on the left and right unless otherwise specified.

The arrangement position of each unit shown in FIG. 2 is an example, and the sound collecting unit, the bone conduction speaker unit, and the wireless communication unit may be arranged at different positions by separating the functional unit as needed.

The sound collecting unit can collect surrounding sounds and the wearer's voice. The voice signal of the acquired voice is amplified, converted into a digital signal, and input to a control unit described later. The sound collecting unit is used, for example, to give a voice input command to the control unit. Further, the sound collecting unit is used as a hands-free microphone during a call via an external device such as a mobile phone terminal. Noise canceling may be performed on the sound acquired by the sound collecting unit. The eyeglass-type wearable device can also be used as a hearing aid by the sound collecting unit and the bone conduction speaker unit.

The bone conduction speaker unit is a piezoelectric speaker that utilizes the mechanical intrinsic resonance phenomenon of piezoelectric ceramics, and can make the wearer hear sound by transmitting voice vibration to the cartilage near the wearer's ear.

The wireless communication unit can send and receive audio signals to and from an external device. Transmission and reception of audio signals is established according to short-range wireless communication standards such as Bluetooth (registered trademark). The wireless communication unit also establishes data communication with the wireless communication unit of the other temple. This data communication includes, for example, communication of voice signals, communication of instructions related to synchronization processing, and the like.

At least one of the pair of temples 20a, 20b further includes power supply units 22a, 22b and charging units 23a, 23b for supplying power to the functional units 21a, 21b.

As shown in FIG. 3, when both temples 20a and 20b have power supply units 22a and 22b, the functional unit 21a and the power supply unit 22a are connected in the temple 20a, and the functional unit 21b and the power supply unit in the temple 20b. By connecting to 22b, the electric wire does not pass through the frame 10 portion. When only one temple 20b has a power supply unit 22b, as shown in FIG. 4, the electric wire EL passes through the frame 10 portion from one temple 20b to the other temple 20a. The details of the electric wire EL will be described later.

The charging units 23a and b are for supplying electric power to the power supply units 22a and b, and can be a connector that can be connected to the charging device by wire or wirelessly. The wireless connection to the charging device can be realized by using a known non-contact charging technique.

The charging units 23a and 23b are characterized in that the temples are shielded in the open state and exposed in the closed state.

As shown in FIG. 2, when the temple 21a is in the open state, the charging unit 23a becomes a connecting portion between the frame 10 and the temple 21a, and is shielded from the outside so that it cannot be seen.

On the contrary, when the temple 20a is in the closed state, the end portion of the charging portion 23a is exposed as shown in FIG.

With such a configuration, when the temples 20a and 20b are in the open state, that is, when the eyeglass-type wearable device is attached, the charging units 23a and b are not visible from the outside, and the design of the eyeglass-type wearable device is not hindered. Further, when the temples 20a and 20b are closed, that is, when the eyeglass-type wearable device is not attached, the charging units 23a and b are exposed to the outside for charging, so that it is not necessary to remove the cap or the like. It can be easily charged.

Further, since the functional units 21a and b of the temples 20a and 20 can wirelessly communicate with each other, wiring for connecting the functional units 21a and b passing through the frame 10 is not required, and the design of the frame is not hindered. ..

Thus, the present invention can provide a good looking spectacle wearable device for both the frame and the temple.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, when only one of the pair of temples has a power supply unit, the eyeglass-type wearable device further expands and contracts to connect the power supply unit and the functional unit of the other temple. The electric wire EL is provided.

By using an elastic wire, even if the temple is opened and closed, unnecessary slack of the wire does not occur, and the design is not hindered. As the elastic electric wire, Roboden (registered trademark) manufactured by Asahi Kasei Co., Ltd. can be used.

At least one of the pair of temples further has a sensor unit for detecting the state of the eyeglass-type wearable device, and the power supply unit has the sensor unit changed from the closed state to the open state of at least one of the pair of temples. When this is detected, the power supply to the functional unit can be started.

The sensor unit is not particularly limited as long as it can detect the opening and closing of the temple, and examples thereof include an optical sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a vibration sensor.

Further, the power supply unit can stop the supply of power to the functional unit when the sensor unit detects that at least one of the pair of temples has changed from the open state to the closed state.

With the above configuration, the power switch can be eliminated by automating the ON / OFF of the power supply, and the functionality and design can be improved.

When the sensor unit detects that at least one of the pair of temples has changed from the closed state to the open state, the wireless communication unit may start the synchronization processing between the bone conduction speakers of each of the pair of temples. it can. Note that this synchronization process may be performed automatically when the power is turned on.

Each of the pair of temples can be provided with an interference prevention unit for preventing interference between the sound collecting unit and the bone conduction speaker. As the interference prevention unit, it is preferable to use a silicon vibration absorber.

With the above configuration, it is possible to suppress the howling phenomenon that occurs when the sound collecting portion and the bone conduction speaker portion are arranged close to each other.

FIG. 6 is a control block diagram of an eyeglass-type wearable device according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the spectacle-type wearable device, one temple constitutes a main temple and the other temple constitutes a secondary temple. For example, the temple 20a on the main side includes a control unit 25, an audio signal generation unit 26, a wireless communication unit 27, and a sound collecting unit 28, which are formed on the substrate 24, respectively. A power supply unit 29 is connected to the substrate 24, and a bone conduction speaker unit 30 is connected to the audio signal generation unit 26.

The control unit 25 includes, for example, a processor and a memory, and executes various processes in the temple. Specifically, the processor executes various processes by reading instructions from, for example, an application program stored in a memory which is a non-volatile memory. An audio signal generation unit, a wireless communication unit, and a sound collection unit are connected to the control unit, respectively.

The audio signal generator has the functions of a D / A converter and an amplifier. Specifically, the audio signal generation unit converts the audio signal received from the external device into an analog signal. The converted analog signal is amplified. After that, the analog signal amplified from the audio signal generation unit is output to the bone conduction speaker unit. The external device includes, for example, a mobile phone terminal, a music playback device, and other information processing terminals.

In the present embodiment, the wireless communication unit is provided in both the main temple and the secondary temple, but the reception of the audio signal from the external device is performed only by the wireless communication unit of the main temple, for example. The received audio signal may be transmitted from the wireless communication unit of the main temple to the wireless communication unit of the secondary temple.

Next, a usage mode of the eyeglass-type wearable device of the present embodiment will be described. When the wearer opens at least one of the temples, the spectacle-type wearable device initiates communication with the wearer, for example, a mobile phone terminal. When music is played on the mobile phone terminal, the voice signal is received through the wireless communication unit of the main temple. The analog signal converted and amplified by the audio signal generator is output to the bone conduction speaker, and the wearer can hear the music.

When the communication with the mobile phone terminal is completed, the wearer closes one of the temples. Along with this process, a power-off command is transmitted from the wireless communication unit of one temple to the wireless communication unit of the other temple, and the power of the other temple is also turned off. In this way, the processing in the eyeglass-type wearable device is completed. The above processing is the same for, for example, a call on a mobile phone terminal.

The eyeglass-type wearable device of the present invention can be equipped with various sensors such as a gyro sensor, a position sensor, a biological information sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a vibration sensor, in addition to the device for detecting the opening and closing of the temple.

Subsequently, an embodiment of the charging device of the present invention will be described.

The charging device of the present invention is a charging device 200 for charging the above-mentioned eyeglass-type wearable device, and includes a main body 210 and a pair of connecting portions 220a and b, as shown in FIG. 7.

The main body 210 can be expanded and contracted in the longitudinal direction. FIG. 7A shows a case where the main body 210 is in an extended state, and FIG. 7B shows a case where the main body 210 is in a contracted state.

The pair of connecting portions 220a and b are provided at portions of the main body portion 210 facing each other in the longitudinal direction.

Then, when the eyeglass-type wearable device 100 is installed inside the main body 210 in the closed state, the pair of connecting portions 220a and b and the pair of charging portions 23a and b are connected or b by shrinking the main body portion 210. Make contact possible.

FIG. 8 shows an example of the shape of the main body 210 of the charging device 200. As shown in (a), it may have a tubular shape and a separate shape, or as shown in (b), it may have a box shape with an empty upper part. As described above, after arranging the spectacle-type wearable device inside the main body portion, other shapes can be adopted as long as the main body portion can be contracted.

The charging device itself can be used as a battery device capable of storing electricity, and can be used as a mobile battery for a carrying case of a glasses-type wearable device.

The connection between the pair of connecting portions and the pair of charging portions may be connected by a magnet.

With the above configuration, it is possible to fix the position of the structure having an elastic structure called the spectacle-type wearable device and to surely contact or connect the connecting portion to the charging portion.

Further, even for eyeglass-type wearable devices of different sizes, the position can be fixed and the connection portion can be reliably contacted or connected to the charging portion.

When there is only one power supply unit, only one temple needs to be provided with the charging unit and the connecting unit. In that case, the connection to the other temple is for fixing, not for charging.

Further, the charging device can be configured to automatically shrink to an appropriate size when the eyeglass-type wearable device is arranged inside. In that case, it is preferable to further include a sensor for detecting that the spectacle-type wearable device is placed and a sensor for detecting that the device has shrunk to an appropriate size.

Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other embodiments, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

100 Glasses type wearable device 10 frame 20 Temple 21 Function unit 22 Power supply unit 23 Battery unit 110 Bone conduction speaker unit 120 Audio signal generation unit 130 Control unit 140 Wireless communication unit 150 Sound collection unit 160 Power supply unit 200 Charging device 210 Main unit 220 connection Department

Claims (8)

A spectacle-type wearable device having a frame and a pair of temples that are openable and closable to the frame.
Each of the pair of temples has a functional unit including a sound collecting unit, a bone conduction speaker unit, and a wireless communication unit, and the functional unit of each temple can wirelessly communicate with each other.
At least one of the pair of temples further has a power supply unit and a charging unit for supplying power to the functional unit.
The charging unit is a glasses-type wearable device in which the temple is shielded in an open state and exposed in a closed state. When only one of the pair of temples has the power supply unit
The spectacle-type wearable device according to claim 1, wherein the spectacle-type wearable device further includes an elastic electric wire for connecting the power supply unit and the functional unit of the other of the temples. At least one of the pair of temples further has a sensor unit for detecting the state of the spectacle-type wearable device.
The power supply unit according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when the sensor unit detects that at least one of the pair of temples has changed from the closed state to the open state, the power supply unit starts supplying power to the functional unit. Glasses-type wearable device. The power supply unit is characterized in that when the sensor unit detects that at least one of the pair of temples has changed from the open state to the closed state, the power supply to the functional unit is stopped. The glasses-type wearable device according to 3. When the sensor unit detects that at least one of the pair of temples has changed from the closed state to the open state, the wireless communication unit performs synchronous processing of the bone conduction speaker possessed by each of the pair of temples. The spectacle-type wearable device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the device is started. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein each of the pair of temples includes an interference prevention unit for preventing interference between the sound collecting unit and the bone conduction speaker. Eyeglass-type wearable device. The charging unit
It is characterized in that it is charged by connecting or contacting the connection portion of a charging device including a main body portion that can be expanded and contracted in the longitudinal direction and a pair of connection portions provided in portions facing each other in the longitudinal direction of the main body portion. The eyeglass-type wearable device according to any one of claims 1 to 6. A spectacle-type wearable device including a frame and a pair of temples that are openable and closable to the frame, and each of the pair of temples has a charging portion that is shielded in the open state and exposed in the closed state. It is a charging device for charging the glasses-type wearable device that it has.
The main body that can be expanded and contracted in the longitudinal direction,
It is provided with a pair of connecting portions provided at portions facing each other in the longitudinal direction of the main body portion.
A charging device capable of connecting or contacting the pair of connecting portions and the pair of charging portions by shrinking the main body when the glasses-type wearable device is installed inside the main body in a closed state.

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