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EP-4220309-B1 - METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR RELIABLY TRANSFERRING SIGNALS BETWEEN ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS

EP4220309B1EP 4220309 B1EP4220309 B1EP 4220309B1EP-4220309-B1

Inventors

  • THOMAS, MARC
  • STELMAN, JACOB

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20190826

Claims (15)

  1. An electronic hinge system, comprising: a first component of an electronic watch band (12; 112; 212), the first component including: a first enclosure (20; 120; 220) housing a plurality of first electrically conductive elements; and a first connector (24; 124; 224) disposed at an end of the first enclosure; and a second component (14; 114; 216) including a second enclosure (40; 140; 240) housing a plurality of second electrically conductive elements and a second connector (44; 144; 244) disposed at an end of the second enclosure, wherein the first connector is configured to mate with the second connector, such that when the first component is engaged with the second component, the first connector is in a rotational electrically conductive connection with the second connector, wherein the first connector comprises a plurality of curved elements (30; 31; 130; 230) disposed in the first connector, the plurality of curved elements being electrically conductive and spaced apart from one another, wherein the second connector comprises a plurality of contacts disposed therein and configured to mate with the plurality of the curved elements of the first connector, the plurality of contacts being electrically conductive and spaced apart from one another, and wherein ends of the plurality of contacts physically contact with and slide along respective outer surfaces (36) of the plurality of curved elements during rotation of the first connector relative to the second connector, thereby maintaining the rotational electrically conductive connection between the plurality of contacts and the plurality of curved elements during the rotation.
  2. The electronic hinge system of claim 1, wherein the second component is an electronic watch (14; 114; 214).
  3. The electronic hinge system of claim 1, wherein the first connector comprises: a longitudinal opening extending in a first direction (D1) through the first connector; and a plurality of first openings extending into the first connector in a second direction (D2) transverse to the first direction and spaced apart from one another in the first direction.
  4. The electronic hinge system of claim 3, wherein the second connector includes two recesses each extending into the second connector, the two recesses spaced apart from one another in the first direction, the electronic hinge system further comprising a pin (60) extending in the first direction through the longitudinal opening and into each of the recesses, the pin rotationally coupling the first component with the second component.
  5. The electronic hinge system of claim 3, wherein the second connector comprises a plurality of second openings extending into the second connector in the second direction transverse to the first direction and spaced apart from one another in the first direction, a portion of at least some of the plurality of contacts each exposed at a respective one of the plurality of second openings, each contact being electrically connected with at least a respective one of the plurality of second electrically conductive elements of the second component.
  6. The electronic hinge system of claim 1, wherein the first connector and the second connector have interlocking features that are configured to mate with one another when the first component is engaged with the second component, the interlocking features being configured to prevent rotation of the first connector and the second connector relative to one another.
  7. The electronic hinge system of claim 6, further comprising a gasket (174) configured to provide a water-tight seal around an interface between the first component and the second component.
  8. An electronic watch system (10; 110; 210), comprising the electronic hinge system of claim 1.
  9. The electronic watch system of claim 8, further comprising: a watch housing having circuitry within the watch housing, the circuitry including a further plurality of electrically conductive elements; and a watch connector comprising a plurality of pins (290), the plurality of pins being electrically conductive and spaced apart from one another, each pin having an exposed end configured to engage, in a rotational electrically conductive connection, with a receptable (216) of a watch band connector (244) having a plurality of contacts (250), each pin being electrically connected with at least a respective one of the further plurality of electrically conductive elements and the watch band connector including the second component being mated with the first component of the electronic watch band (12; 112; 212), wherein the plurality of pins is configured to mate with the plurality of contacts of the receptacle, such that when the watch connector is engaged with the receptacle, free ends (292) of the pins are engaged with and electrically connected with the contacts, and wherein the receptacle is configured to be rotationally engaged with the watch band connector such that, when engaged, an electrical connection is formed between the further plurality of electrically conductive elements in the watch housing and the watch band connector and maintained during rotation of the watch band connector relative to the receptacle.
  10. The electronic watch system of claim 9, wherein each of the pins has an azimuthally-elongated shape and protrudes from a bottom surface (280) of the watch housing.
  11. The electronic watch system of claim 9, wherein the pins of the watch connector are unevenly spaced apart from one another and the contacts of the receptacle are spaced apart from one another with the same uneven spacing to the pins.
  12. The electronic watch system of claim 9, wherein during engagement of the watch connector with the receptacle between a first engaged position and a second engaged position there is an electrical connection between the pins and contacts at any time before the second engaged position is reached.
  13. The electronic watch system of claim 9, the receptacle further comprising a circular ledge (240).
  14. The electronic watch system of claim 13, wherein a first end of each contact is exposed at a bottom surface (241) of the circular ledge and a second end of each contact is exposed at a top surface (242) of the circular ledge opposite the bottom surface.
  15. An electronic watch band, comprising: a flexible enclosure (20; 120; 220) housing a plurality of electrically conductive elements; and a connector (24; 124; 224) disposed at an end of the flexible enclosure, wherein the connector has a plurality of curved elements (30; 31; 130; 230) disposed in the connector, the plurality of curved elements being electrically conductive and spaced apart from one another, each curved element being electrically connected with at least a respective one of the electrically conductive elements in the flexible enclosure, wherein each curved element has an outer surface (36) for mating with a respective contact, the outer surface being configured to allow the contact to physically contact with and slide along the external surface, thereby maintaining an electrical connection between the plurality of curved elements and contacts during the rotation.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS The present application is a continuation of U.S. Patent Application No. 16/140,679, filed September 25, 2018. BACKGROUND Conventional electronic watches and activity modules do not transfer signals to or from a watch band. However, the electronic watch industry is moving towards advanced biosensing, which may necessitate that additional sensors, batteries, and/or cameras be placed in the watch band, which would require an electronic connection between the watch band and the electronic watch or activity module. Chinese utility model CN 205334075 U discloses a wrist-watch with electronic connection between a watch band and the watch body according to a prior art of the invention. BRIEF SUMMARY The present disclosure provides for electronic watch systems and electronic hinge systems that can reliably transfer signals between a first component (e.g., a watch band) and a second component (e.g., an electronic watch) without using additional energy, through a rotational coupling between the first component and the second component. One aspect of the disclosure provides an electronic hinge system according to claim 1. Another aspect of the disclosure provides an electronic watch band according to claim 15. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1A illustrates a perspective view of an electronic watch system according to an aspect of the disclosure.FIG. 1B is another perspective view of the watch band of FIG. 1A.FIG. 1C is an enlarged, partially-transparent perspective view of a connector of the watch band of FIG. 1A.FIG. 1D is a perspective view of a connector of the electronic watch of FIG. 1A.FIG. 1E is an enlarged, partially-transparent perspective view of the coupling between the watch band and the electronic watch of FIG. 1A.FIG. 1F is a side cross-sectional view of the coupling between the watch band and the electronic watch of FIG. 1A, shown in a first position.FIG. 1G is another side cross-sectional view of the coupling between the watch band and the electronic watch of FIG. 1A, shown in a second position.FIG. 2A illustrates a side cross-sectional view of a variation of the rings of FIG. 1F, according to aspects of the disclosure.FIG. 2B illustrates a side cross-sectional view of a variation of the connectors of FIG. 1F, according to aspects of the disclosure.FIGS. 2C-2E illustrate side cross-sectional views of variations of the contact of FIG. 1F, according to aspects of the disclosure.FIG. 2F is an enlarged, partially-transparent perspective view of the contacts shown in FIGS. 1F, 2D, and 2E.FIG. 3A illustrates an enlarged perspective view of a variation of the connector of the watch band of FIG. 1B, according to an aspect of the disclosure.FIG. 3B is an enlarged perspective view of a variation of the connector of the electronic watch of FIG. 1D, according to an aspect of the disclosure.FIG. 3C is an enlarged perspective view of the connector of the watch band of FIG. 3A and the connector of the electronic watch of FIG. 3B.FIG. 3D is a side cross-sectional view of the coupling between the watch band of FIG. 3A and the electronic watch of FIG. 3B.FIG. 4A illustrates a perspective view of an electronic watch system according to an aspect of the disclosure.FIG. 4B is an enlarged, partially-transparent perspective view of the coupling between the watch band, a receptacle, and the electronic watch of FIG. 4A.FIG. 4C is an enlarged, partially-transparent perspective view of the watch band, the receptacle, and the electronic watch of FIG. 4A, with the electronic watch shown spaced apart from the receptacle.FIGS. 4D and 4E are enlarged perspective views of the connector of the receptacle of FIG. 4A.FIG. 4F is an enlarged perspective view of the connector of the electronic watch of FIG. 4A.FIG. 4G is a side cross-sectional view of the coupling between the watch band, the receptacle, and the electronic watch of FIG. 4A.FIG. 4H is a diagrammatic view of the coupling between the contacts of the receptacle and the electronic watch of FIG. 4A, shown with only one pair of contacts rotationally aligned with one another.FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of an activity module system according to an aspect of the disclosure.FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective view of an analog watch system according to an aspect of the disclosure.FIG. 7 illustrates a perspective view of a laptop hinge system according to an aspect of the disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Overview The technology relates generally to an electronic hinge system or mechanism configured to reliably transfer signals between a watch and a band, between a keyboard and a screen, or between movable components of other devices. In particular, the mechanism provides a rotatable electrical connection between a first component and a second component. The mechanism includes a plurality of curved elements (for example, the curved elements are rings or the curved elements are elements having a curved portion and a portion that can ha