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EP-3906702-B1 - SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR UNCONSTRAINED BATTERY SPRING TAB ASSEMBLIES FOR IN-EAR HEADPHONE

EP3906702B1EP 3906702 B1EP3906702 B1EP 3906702B1EP-3906702-B1

Inventors

  • GREBE, RICHARD ARTHUR
  • GONSALVES, DANIEL D.
  • SARGENT, DANIEL H.

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20191223

Claims (12)

  1. A headphone comprising: a headphone cap (302) mechanically coupled to a printed circuit board, PCB, (304), the PCB having a first electrical connector (314) and a second electrical connector (316); and a headphone housing (308) configured to be mechanically coupled with the headphone cap (302), and comprising: a battery (306) having a third electrical connector (310) and a fourth electrical connector (312) and having a longitudinal axis, wherein the third electrical connector (310) is configured to form a first electrical connection with the first electrical connector (314) as a result of the headphone housing (308) being mechanically coupled with the headphone cap (302), and wherein the fourth electrical connector (312) is configured to form a second electrical connection with the second electrical connector (316) as a result of the headphone housing (308) being mechanically coupled with the headphone cap (302), characterized in that in mechanically coupling the headphone housing (308) to the headphone cap (302), the battery (306) is configured to be radially adjacent to the PCB (304), perpendicular from the longitudinal axis, and wherein the first electrical connector (314) is a pogo pin, and the third electrical connector (310) is a spring tab.
  2. The headphone of claim 1, wherein the headphone cap (302) is mechanically coupled to the PCB (304) at a fixed, repeatable distance from the PCB (304).
  3. The headphone of claim 1, wherein mechanically coupling the headphone housing (308) with the headphone cap (302) comprises inserting the headphone cap (302) into the headphone housing (308) in a direction of an axis of the pogo pin (314).
  4. The headphone of claim 1, wherein the second electrical connector (316) is a castellation, and the fourth electrical connector (312) is a second spring tab.
  5. The headphone of claim 4, wherein the second spring tab curves towards a direction parallel to longitudinal axis.
  6. The headphone of claim 5, wherein forming the second electrical connection comprises exerting a deflecting force on the second spring tab by the castellation (316).
  7. The headphone of claim 1, wherein the battery (306) is configured to maintain the first electrical connection and the second electrical connection during a thermal expansion.
  8. A method of producing a headphone, comprising: providing a headphone cap mechanically coupled to a printed circuit board, PCB, having a first electrical connector and a second electrical connector; mechanically coupling the headphone cap with a headphone housing, the headphone housing comprising a battery having a third electrical connector and a fourth electrical connector and having a longitudinal axis; forming, as a result of mechanically coupling the headphone cap with the headphone housing, a first electrical connection between the first electrical connector and the third electrical connector; forming, as a result of mechanically coupling the headphone cap with the headphone housing, a second electrical connection between the second electrical connector and the fourth electrical connector, and aligning, as a result of mechanically coupling the headphone cap with the headphone phone, the battery to be radially adjacent with the PCB, perpendicular from the longitudinal axis, wherein the first electrical connector is a pogo pin and the third electrical connector is a spring tab.
  9. The method of claim 8, wherein mechanically coupling the headphone housing with the headphone cap comprises inserting the headphone cap into the headphone housing in a direction of an axis of the pogo pin.
  10. The method of claim 8, wherein mechanically coupling the headphone housing with the headphone cap comprises inserting the headphone cap into the headphone housing in a direction of the longitudinal axis.
  11. The method of claim 10, wherein the fourth electrical connector is a spring tab which curves towards a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis.
  12. The method of claim 8, wherein the battery is configured to maintain the first electrical connection and the second electrical connection during a thermal expansion.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is related to U.S. Patent Application No. 16/239,940 filed on January 4th, 2019, and titled SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ANTENNA AND GROUND PLANE MOUNTING SCHEMES FOR IN-EAR HEADPHONE. BACKGROUND 1. Field of the Disclosure At least one example in accordance with the present disclosure relates generally to wireless headphones. 2. Discussion of Related Art The use of headphones, such as wireless in-ear headphones, is generally known. Wireless headphones generally include one or more components to enable wireless communication with an audio source. For example, wireless headphones may include antennas configured to receive signals encoding audio information from an audio source. It may be advantageous to tune antennas to a desired resonant frequency to minimize antenna frequency detuning. Wireless headphones may also include batteries, which may expand as they heat up during certain abnormal thermal failure events. A battery that is constrained such that it cannot freely expand in an appropriate dimension or direction may not fail properly in response to abnormal thermal failure events. It may therefore be advantageous to retain a battery in a device (for example, a wireless headphone) in an unconstrained manner while maintaining the electrical connections between the battery and other device components. Document US 2018/184191 A1 to a wireless sound equipment. Document US 2013/051589 A1 relates to an earphone device of an ear-hole insertion type having a noise cancelling function. Document JP S53 135205 A discloses an earphone device whose power supply is switched on (or switched off) when the earphone device is inserted in (or removed from) the user's ear canal. SUMMARY The invention is defined in the appended claims. In the following, aspects and examples do not fall under the scope of the claims unless otherwise mentioned. According to one aspect, a headphone is provided comprising a headphone cap mechanically coupled to a printed circuit board (PCB), the PCB having a first electrical connector and a second electrical connector, and a headphone housing configured to be mechanically coupled with the headphone cap, and comprising a battery having a third electrical connector and a fourth electrical connector, wherein the third electrical connector is configured to form a first electrical connection with the first electrical connector as a result of the headphone housing being mechanically coupled with the headphone cap, and wherein the fourth electrical connector is configured to form a second electrical connection with the second electrical connector as a result of the headphone housing being mechanically coupled with the headphone cap, and wherein in mechanically coupling the headphone housing to the headphone cap, the battery is configured to be horizontally adjacent to the PCB. In some examples, the headphone cap is mechanically coupled to the PCB at a fixed, repeatable distance from the PCB. In an example, the first electrical connector is a pogo pin, and the third electrical connector is a spring tab. In certain examples, mechanically coupling the headphone housing with the headphone cap comprises inserting the headphone cap into the headphone housing in a direction of an axis of the pogo pin. In examples, forming the first electrical connection comprises depressing the pogo pin against the spring tab. In certain examples, the second electrical connector is a castellation, and the fourth electrical connector is a spring tab. In some examples, mechanically coupling the headphone housing with the headphone cap comprises inserting the headphone cap into the headphone housing in a direction of an axis of the battery. In examples, the spring tab curves towards a direction parallel to the axis of the battery. In certain examples, forming the second electrical connection comprises exerting a deflecting force on the spring tab by the castellation. In some examples, the first electrical connector, the second electrical connector, the third electrical connector, and the fourth electrical connector comprise at most two types of electrical connectors, the types of electrical connectors comprising a spring tab, a pogo pin, and a castellation. In examples, the battery is configured to thermally expand in an unconstrained manner during a thermal event. In certain examples, the battery is configured to maintain the first electrical connection and the second electrical connection during the thermal expansion. According to another aspect, a method of producing a headphone is provided comprising acts of providing a headphone cap mechanically coupled to a printed circuit board (PCB) having a first electrical connector and a second electrical connector, mechanically coupling the headphone cap with a headphone housing, the headphone housing comprising a battery having a third electrical connector and a fourth electrical connector, forming, as a result of mechanically coupli