WO2014060729A1

WO2014060729A1 - Portable audio headphones

Info

Publication number: WO2014060729A1
Application number: PCT/GB2013/052660
Authority: WO
Inventors: Frank Anderson
Original assignee: Onbeat Limited
Priority date: 2012-10-15
Filing date: 2013-10-11
Publication date: 2014-04-24
Also published as: GB201223462D0; GB2510451A; GB201318058D0; GB201218431D0

Abstract

The present invention relates to portable audio headphones comprising a power output connection and on-board batteries such that the headphones are capable of powering an auxiliary device such as a music MP3 player, smartphone or tablet computer etc. The headphones also have a headband which includes a solar panel arrangement that converts light into electrical energy in order to charge the on-board batteries of the headphones.

Description

Portable Audio Headphones

The present invention relates to portable audio headphones, particularly, but not exclusively, portable audio headphones for use with portable electronic devices such as music "MP3" players, mobile telephones and tablet computers etc.

In recent years portable electronic devices such as those listed above have become increasingly sophisticated in terms of their processing power and functionality. This has required more and more battery capacity in order to power the processers and screen displays etc. of such devices. These factors, coupled with limitations on the overall dimensions of the device, mean that the battery lifetime on such devices from full charge to depletion is typically relatively short. Indeed, on many popular devices the battery lifetime from full charge to depletion can be less than a day, especially if the device is used intensively throughout the day.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided portable audio headphones comprising a power output connection and means of storing electrical energy on-board the headphones such that at least an auxiliary device may be powered by electrical energy stored on-board the headphones.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of charging an auxiliary device comprising providing portable audio headphones having a power output connection and means of storing electrical energy on-board the headphones, at least partially charging the means of storing electrical energy prior to or during use of the headphones and drawing electrical energy from the means of storing electrical energy during use in order to at least partially charge a battery of the auxiliary device. Further features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the claims and the following description. Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the following diagrams, in which:-

Fig. 1 illustrates a pair of portable audio headphones according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a further view of the portable audio headphones where a solar panel arrangement is illustrated along a headband provided between left and right earpieces of the headphones;

Fig. 3 is a further view of the portable audio headphones where a side solar panel arrangement is illustrated on the side of the earpieces;

Fig. 4 is a further view of the portable audio headphones illustrating the solar panel arrangement of the headband in greater detail;

Fig. 5 is an illustration of the portable audio headphones in a folded configuration which allows storage when not in use;

Fig. 6 is an illustration of the portable audio headphones in use where an audio input cable is connected to one earpiece of the headphones and a power output cable is connected to the other earpiece of the headphones; Fig. 7 is a schematic representation of an internal circuit board and associated connections of an earpiece of the portable audio headphones; and

Figs. 8 to 12 are illustrations of portable audio headphones according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

With reference to Fig. 1 , in a first embodiment, portable audio headphones 10 comprise a first earpiece 12 and a second earpiece 14 which are connected to one another by an adjustable headband 16. A first pivot joint 18 connects the first earpiece 12 to one end of the headband 16 and a second pivot joint 20 connects the second earpiece 14 to the other end of the headband 16. As illustrated in Fig. 5 this allows the earpieces 12, 14 to articulate inwards such that they can be folded away to reduce the overall dimensions of the headphones 10 when not in use. A first bridging cable 22 maintains an electrical connection between the first earpiece 12 and the headband 16, and a second bridging cable 24 maintains an electrical connection between the second earpiece 14 and the headband 16. A padded cushion 26 is also provided on the headband 16 to provide a comfortable fit on the user's head. With reference to Fig. 2, a flexible solar panel 17 is also provided on the outer surface of the headband 16. This comprises a series of photovoltaic panels which are embedded into, or alternatively applied onto, the headband 16 in order to form a band of photovoltaic cells that produce electrical charge when light is imparted thereon. As illustrated in Fig. 3, additional side solar panels 19 are also provided on the side of each earpiece 12, 14. An electrical connection is maintained between the head band solar panel 17 and the earpieces by the bridging cables 24, 22. The colour, dimensions and surface texture of the solar panels 17, 19 may be selected in order to blend into the overall headphone colour-scheme such that the presence of the solar panels 17, 19 are not immediately apparent to onlookers.

On-board means of storing electrical energy is also provided in the headphones 10. In the present embodiment, these take the form of two rechargeable Li- Polymer cells; however, it will be appreciated that capacitors or other types of batteries may alternatively be utilised. In the present embodiment, when charged, these cells together provide a total capacity in the region of 2000 to 2800mAH.

This is generally amply sufficient capacity to recharge the battery of a fully depleted auxiliary portable electronic device.

As best illustrated in Fig. 5, the first earpiece 12 has an audio input connection socket 28 provided in the bottom thereof. As illustrated in Fig. 6, this allows an audio input jack 34 (such as a 3.5mm audio jack) provided at one end of an audio cable 32 to be connected to the first earpiece 12 and an audio output jack 36 provided at the other end of the audio cable 32 to be connected to an audio output of a portable electronic device 30 such that audio played on the portable electronic device 30 can be listened to on the headphones 10 in the normal way. Furthermore, with reference to Fig. 6 and 7, the second earpiece 14 has a power output socket 39 provided at the bottom thereof. This allows a power output jack 38 (such as a USB plug) provided at one end of a power transfer cable 40 to be connected to the second earpiece 14 and a power input jack 42 provided at the other end of the power transfer cable 40 to be connected to a charging socket of a portable electronic device 30 such that electrical power can be drawn from the headphones 10 into the portable electronic device 30. This allows the on board Li- Polymer cells of the headphones 10 to charge the battery of the device 30 prior to, after, or during use thereof.

With reference to Fig. 7, internal components and connections of the second earpiece 14 are mounted on a circuit mounting board 44 that is shaped to conform to the internal shape and dimensions of the second earpiece housing. The components and connections include a USB power output socket 39 and a micro- USB power input socket 48 which allows a mains charging cable to be plugged into the headphones 10. Connection terminals are also provided for an on-off switch 50, the first Li-Polymer cell 52, the second Li-Polymer cell 54, the solar panel 56, a first LED 58 and a second LED 60. The power input/output circuitry of the invention contains five distinct modules as follows:-

1. A solar cell / solar panel module. 2. An energy harvester module which comprises a low power boost converter having battery management capabilities. This module acquires and manages electrical power generated by the solar panel module using an efficient boost converter / charger. The module also utilises dynamic maximum power point tracking for optimal energy extraction over a wide range of solar cell illumination. On chip over-voltage and over-temperature detection is also provided in order to protect the on-board energy storage batteries. 3. An energy storage module which comprises a first and second battery, and a protective fuse which safeguards the batteries from catastrophic damage or malfunction. A switch is also provided in order to selectively switch the portable electronic device charging function on or off and / or between solar panel charging mode / on-board battery charging mode and external portable electronic device charging mode as will be described subsequently.

4. A battery charger module which comprises a miniature single-cell, Li- Polymer charge management controller. This module employs a constant- current/constant voltage charge algorithm with pre-conditioning and charge termination. The device limits the charge current based on die temperature during high power or high ambient conditions. This thermal regulation optimises the charge cycle time while maintaining reliability. An LED is also provided in order to indicate charge status.

5. A boost converter module which steps up the voltage of the batteries from that naturally output by the batteries to that which is required in order to charge a portable electrical device. This module produces a stable voltage independent of battery charge condition and will initiate a 'drop-out' if there is a risk of the batteries being over discharged. Depending on the nature of the portable electronic device connected to the headphones 10 the boost converter is configured to deliver up to around 200mA to 600mA of current; this typically enables a full recharge of many such portable electronic devices in just a few hours. A switch is also provided in order to turn off this circuit when not in use in order to conserve battery charge. An LED is also provided to indicate this status.

Prior to use, a user may firstly opt to charge the batteries of the headphones 10 by inserting a mains charging cable, having a micro-USB jack at one end and a mains plug at the other end, into the power input socket 48 of the headphones. After a short amount of time, the on-board batteries of the headphones 10 will be fully charged and ready for use.

Alternatively, if the user does not have access to a mains power supply they can instead charge the batteries by exposing the solar panel to light without extracting any electrical energy from the headphones (in other words they can be used in an alternative mode in order to charge the on-board batteries of the headphones 10 but without charging the external portable electronic device 30). In addition, electrical components of the headphones (such as an in-built audio amplifier) can themselves also be powered by the electrical energy harvested from the solar panel and / or that stored in the on-board batteries.

Selector buttons can be provided on the casing of the headphones in order to allow a user to switch between a mains charge mode (where the headphones are connected to a mains charger in an initial charging procedure) an active charge-in mode (where any electrical energy harvested by the solar panel is utilised to charge the on-board batteries of the headphones and where no charging of the external portable electronic device is therefore provided), a combined mode (where the electrical energy harvested by the solar panel is utilised to charge the on-board batteries of the headphones and where electrical current is drawn from the onboard batteries in order to charge the battery of the external portable electronic device) and an active charge-out mode where no electrical energy is harvested by the solar panel (e.g. at night time or in dark conditions) and where all electrical charging current supplied to the battery of the external portable audio device is drawn from the headphone on-board batteries. The switch is also provided with a description of the active setting in order to indicate to the user that the solar panel arrangement is charging either or both the battery of the external portable electronic device and the on-board headphone batteries. It can be seen that the invention described therefore acts as an independent power source which can be used to charge the battery of external portable electronic devices in addition to providing a headphone functionality. With reference to Fig. 8 a second embodiment of the present invention will now be described. In order to minimise repetition, similar features of the second

embodiment are numbered with a common two-digit reference numeral and are differentiated by a third digit placed before the two common digits. Such features are structured similarly, operate similarly, and/or have similar functions unless otherwise indicated.

As best illustrated in Fig. 9, in this embodiment of the invention, the second ear piece 1 14 has a USB power output socket 139 and a power input socket 148 provided in the bottom thereof. Furthermore, the portable audio headphones 1 10 are provided with an alternative pivot mechanism 120 and 122 at either side thereof.

Although particular embodiments of the invention have been disclosed herein in detail, this has been done by way of example and for the purposes of illustration only. The aforementioned embodiments are not intended to be limiting with respect to the scope of the claims.

It is contemplated by the inventors that various substitutions, alterations, and modifications may be made to the invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claims. Examples of these include the following:-

Although in the embodiments described, solar panels are provided on the headphones in order to charge the on-board batteries in an alternative embodiment such solar panels may not be required. With such an arrangement, the

headphones act as an independent mains rechargeable power source for any portable electronic devices connected thereto.

Claims

1. Portable audio headphones comprising a power output connection and means of storing electrical energy on-board the headphones such that at least an auxiliary device may be powered by electrical energy stored on-board the headphones.

2. Portable audio headphones according to claim 1 , further comprising a solar panel arrangement adapted to convert light into electrical energy in order to allow electrical power to be harnessed from light imparted on the headphones in order to charge the means of storing electrical energy.

3. Portable audio headphones according to claim 2, wherein the solar panel arrangement comprises an arrangement of photo-voltaic cells.

4. Portable audio headphones according to either of claims 2 or 3, further comprising a power input connection such that the means of storing electrical energy may be charged by way of a mains power supply prior to use of the audio headphones in a pre-charging stage.

5. Portable audio headphones according to claim 4, wherein the power input comprises a micro-USB socket adapted to receive a micro-USB jack therein.

6. Portable audio headphones according to any preceding claim, wherein in the power output connection comprises a USB-socket adapted to receive a USB jack therein.

7. Portable audio headphones according to claim 6, comprising an audio input connection socket adapted to receive an audio input jack of an audio cable connected to an audio output of a portable electronic device and such that electrical power can be transferred from the audio headphones to a charging socket of a portable electronic device in order to charge the portable electronic device with electrical energy from the on-board means of storing electrical energy prior to, after, or during use thereof.

8. Portable audio headphones according to any preceding claim, further comprising a switch which allows a user to select whether the or each solar panel is charging the on-board means of storing electrical energy and or the external portable electronic device.

9. Portable audio headphones according to any preceding claim, wherein the means of storing electrical energy on-board the headphones comprise a battery arrangement.

10. Portable audio headphones according to claim 9, wherein the battery arrangement comprises a first battery cell mounted within a first earpiece provided on one side of the headphones and a second battery cell mounted within a second earpiece provided on the other side of the headphones.

1 1 . Portable audio headphones according to claim 10, wherein the first and second earpieces are connected to one another by a head band arrangement.

12. Portable audio headphones according to claim 1 1 , wherein the solar cell comprises at least a first strip of solar cell material embedded within the head band arrangement.

13. Portable audio headphones according to claim 12, wherein the solar cell arrangement further comprises a second strip of solar cell material embedded within the exterior of one earpiece and a third strip of solar cell material embedded within the exterior of the second earpiece.

14. A method of charging an auxiliary device comprising providing portable audio headphones having a power output connection and means of storing electrical energy on-board the headphones, at least partially charging the means of storing electrical energy prior to or during use of the headphones and drawing electrical energy from the means of storing electrical energy during use in order to at least partially charge a battery of the auxiliary device.

15. A method according to claim 14, further comprising the step of harvesting electrical energy from at least a solar panel provided on the portable audio headphones in order to charge the on-board means of storing electrical energy and or the battery of the auxiliary device.

16. Portable audio headphones substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, or as illustrated in any of Figs. 1 to 7 or Figs 8 to 12.

17. A method of charging an auxiliary device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, or as illustrated in any of Figs. 1 to 7 or Figs 8 to 12.