US-20260126828-A1 - TERRACED BATTERY SYSTEM FOR WEARABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE

US20260126828A1US 20260126828 A1US20260126828 A1US 20260126828A1US-20260126828-A1

Abstract

A terraced battery system is provided that may enhance the battery packaging efficiency within an organic shape of a wearable electronic device such as an electronic eyewear device. The terraced battery includes several stacked cells of different geometries. The terraced battery geometries are selected to better accommodate organic (non-trapezoidal and non-cylindrical) shapes of the battery housing in the wearable electronic device. In an example, the terraced battery geometry is adapted to accommodate the organic shape of a battery housing in the temples of an augmented reality electronic eyewear device. As the number of the battery cells or terraces increases, the battery packaging efficiency can be further improved within an organic shape of the battery housing. The increased packaging efficiency for the battery enables increased battery life within organically shaped enclosures.

Inventors

Stoyan Hristov
Gerald Nilles

Assignees

SNAP INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20251229

Claims (20)

1 . A wearable electronic eyewear device, comprising: a frame; at least one temple connected to the frame; at least one battery powered device; at least one of an antenna or a speaker; a non-rectangularly and non-cylindrically shaped battery compartment having power connections to the at least one battery powered device; and a terraced battery system disposed in the battery compartment, the terraced battery system comprising a first battery cell and a second battery cell stacked on the first battery cell, the second battery cell having at least one of a different size or different shape from the first battery cell, the first and second battery cells having respective positive terminals connected to each other and respective negative terminals connected to each other, wherein a collective shape of the stacked first and second battery cells is non-rectangular and is non-cylindrical, wherein the first and second battery cells and at least one of the antenna or the speaker are co-located within the non-rectangularly and non-cylindrically shaped battery compartment.
2 . The electronic eyewear device of claim 1 , further comprising a hinge between the frame and the at least one temple, wherein the non-rectangularly and non-cylindrically shaped battery compartment is located within the at least one temple, the frame, or the hinge.
3 . The electronic eyewear device of claim 1 , wherein the non-rectangularly and non-cylindrically shaped battery compartment has a shape based on a desired battery life, a proximity of electrical circuits that may lead to electrical interference, connectivity to the battery powered device, and thermal considerations for heating of the first and second battery cells during use.
4 . The electronic eyewear device of claim 1 , wherein the terraced battery system further comprises at least a third battery cell upon which the first and second battery cells are stacked in a terraced configuration, the at least third battery cell having at least one of a different size or different shape from the first and second battery cells, wherein a collective shape of the first and second battery cells and the at least third battery cell is selected to fit the non-rectangularly and non-cylindrically shaped battery compartment.
5 . The electronic eyewear device of claim 1 , wherein the first and second battery cells are aligned along a common edge to connect the respective positive terminals to each other and the respective negative terminals to each other.
6 . The electronic eyewear device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one temple comprises a connector or pins adapted to connect the terraced battery system to an outside power source for charging.
7 . The electronic eyewear device of claim 6 , wherein the at least one temple further comprises a cap adjacent an opening of the non-rectangularly and non-cylindrically shaped battery compartment that flexes to enable the cap to open to provide access to the terraced battery system within the non-rectangularly and non-cylindrically shaped battery compartment.
8 . The electronic eyewear device of claim 1 , further comprising a connector lead adhered to a surface of each of the first and second battery cells so as to facilitate holding together the first and second battery cells, the connector lead further adapted to run along a surface of the terraced battery system to connect to at least one of the power connections.
9 . The electronic eyewear device of claim 8 , wherein the connector lead is wound across the surface of the terraced battery system to form a service loop.
10 . The electronic eyewear device of claim 9 , wherein the connector lead has a serpentine design.
11 . The electronic eyewear device of claim 8 , wherein the connector lead is flexible.
12 . The electronic eyewear device of claim 1 , wherein the non-rectangularly and non-cylindrically shaped battery compartment comprises an opening, and wherein the terraced battery system and connector lead are nested in the opening of the non-rectangularly and non-cylindrically shaped battery compartment while allowing access to the terraced battery system.
13 . The electronic eyewear device of claim 1 , wherein the power connections are located adjacent to one of the first or second battery cells.
14 . A method of providing power to a battery powered electronic device of a wearable electronic eyewear device, comprising: selecting at least two battery cells having sizes and shapes adapted to fit a non-rectangularly and non-cylindrically shaped battery compartment of the wearable electronic eyewear device when the at least two batteries are stacked on each other, the at least two battery cells having at least one of a different size or shape from each other, wherein the at least two battery cells have respective positive terminals connected to each other and respective negative terminals connected to each other; adhering a connector lead to a surface of each of the at least two battery cells so as to facilitate holding together the at least two battery cells, the connector lead further adapted to run along a surface of the at least two battery cells to facilitate holding together the at least two battery cells; and connecting the connector lead to the battery powered electronic device.
15 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising winding the connector lead across the surface of the each of the at least two battery cells to form a service loop.
16 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising winding the connector lead in a serpentine design across the surface of each of the at least two battery cells.
17 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the connector lead is flexible.
18 . A terraced battery system comprising: a first battery cell; a second battery cell stacked on the first battery cell, the second battery cell having at least one of a different size or a different shape from the first battery cell, the stacked first and second battery cells having a collective shape that is non-rectangular and is non-cylindrical; and a flexible connector lead adhered to a surface of each of the first and second battery cells so as to facilitate holding together the first and second battery cells, the flexible connector lead further adapted to run along a surface of the terraced battery system to form a service loop connecting to at least one power connection of a device to be powered by the first and second battery cells, wherein the first and second battery cells have respective positive terminals connected to each other and respective negative terminals connected to each other.
19 . The terraced battery system of claim 18 , further comprising an insulative coating around an outer perimeter of the first battery cell and the second battery cell to electrically isolate the first battery cell and the second battery cell from each other.
20 . The terraced battery system of claim 18 , wherein the first battery cell and the second battery cell have shapes that are at least one of rectangular, trapezoidal, cylindrical, or disc-shaped and selected in accordance with a size and shape of a non-rectangularly and non-cylindrically shaped battery compartment.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a Continuation of U.S. Application Serial No. 18/196,353 filed on May 11, 2023, the contents of which is incorporated fully herein by reference TECHNICAL FIELD Examples set forth in the present disclosure relate to portable electronic devices, including wearable electronic devices such as smart glasses. More particularly, but not by way of limitation, the present disclosure describes a terraced battery system with several stacked cells of different geometries adapted to accommodate the organic shape of the available space in a battery compartment of a wearable electronic device. BACKGROUND Wearable consumer electronic devices require on board battery systems to power the electronic components. However, the available space for the battery systems in wearable electronic devices such as augmented reality or virtual reality glasses is quite limited. Moreover, the available battery locations may be limited by the organic (i.e., non-rectilinear and non-cylindrical) geometries of the battery locations, thus significantly limiting the size of the batteries and hence limiting the battery life available for wearable electronic devices. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Features of the various implementations disclosed will be readily understood from the following detailed description, in which reference is made to the appending drawing figures. A reference numeral is used with each element in the description and throughout the several views of the drawing. When a plurality of similar elements is present, a single reference numeral may be assigned to like elements. The various elements shown in the figures are not drawn to scale unless otherwise indicated. The dimensions of the various elements may be enlarged or reduced in the interest of clarity. The several figures depict one or more implementations and are presented by way of example only and should not be construed as limiting. Included in the drawing are the following figures: FIG. 1A illustrates a side view of an example hardware configuration of a wearable electronic eyewear device showing a right optical assembly with an image display; FIG. 1B illustrates a top cross-sectional view of a portion of a frame of the wearable electronic eyewear device of FIG. 1A that has been adapted to house electronic components; FIG. 2A illustrates a front perspective view of a two terraced battery in a sample configuration; FIG. 2B illustrates a front perspective view of a three terraced battery in a sample configuration; FIG. 2C illustrates a rear perspective view of a multi-terraced battery indicating that as the number of terrace steps increases the battery shape may approximate the organic shape of a battery enclosure; FIG. 2D illustrates a side view of the three terraced battery of FIG. 2B aligned along an edge for connection of the individual positive and negative leads; FIG. 3A illustrates a perspective view of a two terraced battery housed in a temple enclosure of a wearable electronic eyewear device of the type shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B; FIG. 3B illustrates a perspective view of a three terraced battery housed in a temple enclosure of a wearable electronic eyewear device of the type shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B; FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of the two terraced battery of FIG. 3A further including a connector lead adapted to run along a top surface of the terraced battery in a sample configuration; and FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate perspective views of the two terraced battery of FIG. 3A where the connectors to the electronic components are moved atop a first terrace of the two terraced battery in a sample configuration. DETAILED DESCRIPTION A terraced battery system is provided that may enhance the battery packaging efficiency within an organic shape of a wearable electronic device such as an electronic eyewear device. As described herein, a terraced battery may be defined as a battery with several stacked cells of different geometries. In sample configurations, the terraced battery geometries are selected to better accommodate the more organic (i.e., non-rectangular or non-cylindrical) shape of the battery housing in the wearable electronic device. For example, the terraced battery geometry may be adapted to accommodate the organic shape of a battery housing in the temples of an augmented reality electronic eyewear device. As the number of battery cells or terraces increases, the battery packaging efficiency can be further enhanced within an organic shape of the battery housing. The increased packaging efficiency for the battery enables increased battery life within organically (e.g., non-rectangular and non-cylindrical) shaped enclosures. As used herein, a “stacked” component means that a planar surface (e.g., a top surface) of one component is adjacent a planar surface (e.g., a bottom surface) of another component. In sample configurations, a terraced battery system is provided that includes a first batte