Eyewear comprising speaker assembly

Abstract

Glasses comprising at least one temple, the temple having a cavity leading to the outside through a first aperture and a second aperture positioned opposite each other in a lateral direction, the glasses comprising a speaker assembly mounted within the cavity, the speaker assembly comprises a speaker operable to reproduce sound, a speaker enclosure housing the speaker, and a processing unit for controlling operation of the speaker, the speaker comprising a diaphragm designed to move so as to generate sound, the diaphragm dividing an internal volume of the speaker enclosure into a front cavity and a rear cavity, and a front cavity and a rear cavity leading to the outside of the speaker housing through the front opening and the rear opening, respectively, the speaker assembly being mounted within the cavities so as to create air communication between the front opening and the first aperture and between the rear opening and the second aperture, the rear opening positioned directly facing the second aperture.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to glasses, and in particular to a glasses frame comprising a speaker assembly, such as a smart glasses frame comprising a speaker assembly.

[0002] Known smart glasses include glasses that include electronics adapted to support activities performed by a wearer and to provide additional sensory information to the wearer.

[0003] In particular, the smart glasses may include electronic means for reproducing audio, such as a speaker assembly, in order to provide audible information to the wearer, or to allow the wearer to listen to music while wearing the smart glasses, without the need for any additional headphones. Moreover, if the smart glasses are equipped with one or more microphones, such a speaker assembly may be used to provide the wearer with a volume-enhanced reproduction of the sounds present in the environment: this may be particularly useful for hearing-impaired persons, enabling them to better understand what people in the environment are saying.

[0004] The speaker assembly of smart glasses is usually integrated in the temples of the glasses, in particular in its end portion, so as to be as close as possible to the wearer's ears when the glasses are worn. In this case, each temple has a cavity designed to accommodate the speaker assembly, and the cavity leads to the outside of the temple through at least a first hole facing downwards (i.e. towards the wearer's ear): the sound pressure sound waves generated by the speaker assembly can therefore reach the wearer's ears through the first hole.

[0005] The cavity also leads to the exterior of the temple through at least one second hole facing upward (i.e., in the opposite direction relative to the first hole): the second hole allows rear sound waves (i.e., air pressure waves that must be emitted from the rear side of the speaker assembly when the speaker assembly generates sound waves) to leave the temple without interfering with the sound waves directed toward the wearer's ear.

[0006] The speaker assembly generally includes: a speaker; a speaker housing that accommodates the speaker; and a printed circuit board that is connected to the speaker to adjust its function: the speaker housing has a front opening that is fluidly connected to the first hole of the temple and a rear opening that is fluidly connected to the second hole of the temple, and is fixed to the inner surface of the temple by installing an outward-facing temple cover.

[0007] However, the known solutions have some disadvantages. Firstly, the acoustic output at the wearer's ear is not optimal and a relevant part of the acoustic output is radiated into the environment, causing disturbance and privacy issues for the wearer. Moreover, the acoustic output of the known solutions is often characterized by distortion and low-quality audio reproduction. Moreover, the known speaker assemblies are bulky and complex, so that their insertion into the temples will have a negative impact on the design of the glasses, the ease of factory assembly and the timeliness of factory testing: in fact, the known speaker assemblies can only be tested in the factory after being fixed in the temple by installing the temple caps, so that if the test shows that the speaker assembly is defective, the entire temple will be disassembled or discarded.

[0008] The object of the present invention is to overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks and in particular to achieve glasses comprising a speaker assembly which minimizes the portion of the sound output radiated into the environment, minimizes distortions and maximizes the quality of the sound output towards the wearer's ears, without modifying the design of the glasses, is easy to assemble and can be tested earlier than known speaker assemblies.

[0009] Another object of the invention is to achieve a pair of glasses that provide the wearer with a high-quality, volume-enhanced reproduction of the sounds present in the environment.

[0010] These and other effects are achieved according to the invention which implements spectacles according to claim 1 .

[0011] Further features of the spectacles are object of the dependent claims.

[0012] The present invention will now be described in an illustrative and non-limiting manner with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings, in which:

[0013] - Figure 1 is a perspective view of glasses according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0014] - Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of

[0015] - Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A magnified view of the details;

[0016] - Figure 4 is a perspective view of a speaker assembly according to the present invention;

[0017] - Figure 5 yes Figure 4 Rear view of.

[0018] refer to Figure 1, a piece of eyewear is generally referred to as 100. In particular, hereinafter and in the accompanying drawings, the piece of eyewear 100 is described and represented as an eyeglass frame 100, but the piece of eyewear 100 may include any head-mounted device that is preferably designed to be worn on at least one eye of a wearer and includes at least one temple portion that is configured to be positioned adjacent to the wearer's ear.

[0019] exist Figure 1 In the preferred embodiment shown, the frame 100 includes a front portion 101 and two temples 102, which are connected to the front portion 101 by two hinge assemblies 103 so that each temple 102 can rotate relative to the front portion 101 around a rotation axis, which is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction X of the temple 102, and the temple 102 extends along the longitudinal direction X.

[0020] refer to Figure 2 and 3 , at least one (preferably two) temples 102 have a cavity arranged to accommodate the speaker assembly 1. The cavity leads to the outside of the temple 102 through a first hole 104 and a second hole 105, which are arranged on opposite sides of the temple 102 along a transverse direction Y perpendicular to the longitudinal direction X. In more detail, the first hole 104 faces downwards, i.e. towards the ear of the wearer in use, while the second hole 105 faces upwards.

[0021] The first hole 104 and the second hole 105 are covered by a first cap 106 and a second cap 107 respectively, which are designed to prevent dust and dirt from entering the cavity.

[0022] refer to Figure 4 The speaker assembly 1 includes a speaker 2 , a speaker housing 3 and a processing unit 40 , which is preferably mounted on a printed circuit board 4 .

[0023] The loudspeaker 2 is operable to reproduce sound and comprises: a diaphragm 20 designed to move (particularly vibrate) in order to generate sound; a suspension 21; and a diaphragm movement device (not shown in the figure). However, it is clear that the loudspeaker 2 may comprise any sound generating device having a diaphragm designed to generate sound.

[0024] The speaker 2 is accommodated in a speaker housing 3 , and the speaker housing 3 is fixed to the cavity of the temple 102 by glue, for example.

[0025] In more detail, the speaker housing 3 has a bonding surface 30, which is configured to be bonded to a corresponding inner surface 108 ( Figure 3 shown in ).

[0026] The diaphragm 20 is positioned to divide the interior volume of the loudspeaker housing 3 into a front cavity 31 and a rear cavity 32 (eg, Figure 3 The front cavity 31 leads to the outside of the speaker housing 3 through the front opening 36, so that when the speaker housing 3 is fixed to the temple 102 by gluing the gluing surface 30 to the inner surface 108, an air connection (preferably substantially airtight) is generated between the front opening 36 and the first hole 104: the sound pressure sound waves generated in the front cavity 31 by the movement of the diaphragm 20 can therefore reach the wearer's ears through the first hole 104.

[0027] The rear cavity 32 accommodates the diaphragm movement device and leads to the outside of the speaker housing 3 through the rear opening 33, so that when the speaker housing 3 is fixed to the temple 102 by gluing the bonding surface 30 to the inner surface 108, air communication (preferably basically airtight) is created between the rear opening 33 and the second hole 105: the rear sound waves generated in the rear cavity 32 by the movement of the diaphragm 20 can therefore leave the cavity of the temple 102 through the second hole 105.

[0028] In particular, when the loudspeaker assembly 1 is mounted in the cavity, the rear opening 33 is positioned directly facing the second hole 105: this means that the rear sound waves exiting the rear cavity 32 follow a straight trajectory to reach the second hole 105, without passing through any more cavities, and minimizing the distance to travel. In fact, it will be understood that the distortion and low quality of the sound reproduced by the loudspeaker assemblies of the prior art are caused by the twisted and labyrinthine trajectory of the rear sound waves exiting the rear cavity.

[0029] More specifically, the loudspeaker housing 3 has a top wall 34 and a rear wall 35 (eg Figure 3 ), the top wall 34 faces the second hole 105 and is substantially perpendicular to the diaphragm 20 so as to allow the desired sound diffusion, and the rear wall 35 delimits the rear cavity 32 opposite and substantially parallel to the diaphragm 20: the rear opening 33 is realized in the top wall 34, rather than in the rear wall 35 as in the known loudspeaker assembly. This fact allows to have a larger rear opening 33, thus optimizing the discharge of the rear sound waves from the rear cavity 32 and thus reducing distortion, and also enables to reduce the volume of the rear cavity 32, thus increasing the relative resonance frequency and thus improving the sound quality and reducing the part of the sound output radiated into the environment.

[0030] Preferably, the speaker housing 3 has an auxiliary rear opening 37 , which directly faces the second hole 105 and is adjacent to the rear opening 33 .

[0031] Reference again Figure 4, the bonding surface 30 at least partially defines the front opening 36. In particular, the bonding surface 30 completely surrounds the front opening 36, so that when the bonding surface 30 is bonded to the inner surface 108, the air communication between the front opening 36 and the first hole 104 is substantially airtight, thereby forming an acoustic seal between the speaker housing 3 and the inner surface 108 of the temple 102. This makes it possible to install the temple cover 109 ( Figure 3 ), the speaker assembly 1 is tested before the front opening 36 and the first hole 104 are shown in the figure, because the air communication between the front opening 36 and the first hole 104 is already basically airtight, and there is no need to install the temple cover 109.

[0032] More particularly, the gluing surface 30 is at least partially located in a plane inclined relative to the diaphragm 20 and the rear wall 35: this facilitates a stable glue bond between the gluing surface 30 and the inner surface 108, thereby further facilitating the airtight nature of the connection, and the glue application can be performed using existing dispensing techniques.

[0033] The rear opening 33 is formed in the top wall 34 of the speaker housing 3 (rather than in the rear wall 35 of the speaker housing 3 as in the prior art) and also leaves the rear wall 35 free for fixing the printed circuit board 4 thereto (e.g. Figure 5 As shown), the printed circuit board 4 extends along the cavity of the temple 102: this enables the processing unit 40 to be connected to the speaker 2 through the rear wall 35, and the processing unit 40 is configured to control the operation of the speaker 2.

[0034] The printed circuit board 4 is preferably flexible so as to be easily mounted in the cavity of the temple 102 .

[0035] The connection between the processing unit 40 and the loudspeaker 2 is realized in a direct manner through the rear wall 35 of the loudspeaker housing 3, which can avoid more complex electrical connections and thus any modification of the eyeglass design. Moreover, this simple design of the electrical connection between the processing unit 40 and the loudspeaker 2 makes it particularly easy to assemble the loudspeaker assembly 1 in the cavity of the temple 102.

[0036] Moreover, this design of the electrical connection between the processing unit 40 and the speaker 2 makes the speaker assembly 1 particularly small, thereby making it possible to increase the size and thus the life of a battery (not shown in the figure), which is housed in the cavity of the temple 102 and provides power supply to the speaker assembly 1.

[0037] refer to Figure 5 , the rear wall 35 of the loudspeaker housing 3 has no rear opening, which enables the auxiliary printed circuit board 5 ( Figure 3 The printed circuit board 4 is arranged near the rear wall 35 and the temple cover 109 (partially shown in the figure).

[0038] In practice, the frame 100 of the glasses preferably comprises at least one microphone (not shown in the figures), which may be supported, for example, by the front part 101 or by one of the temples 102 and is arranged to pick up sounds from the environment and to generate corresponding microphone signals. The microphone is connected to the processing unit 40 via an auxiliary printed circuit board 5, which is preferably flexible so as to be easily mounted in the cavity of the temple 102. In this way, the microphone signal is received by the processing unit 40, which processes it in detail, thereby generating a loudspeaker signal, and sends the loudspeaker signal to the loudspeaker 2, thus controlling the operation of the loudspeaker 2: thus, the wearer can be provided with a volume-enhanced reproduction of the sounds present in the environment. In particular, this can help hearing-impaired people to understand what people in the environment are saying.

[0039] The present invention has been described in an illustrative and non-limiting manner with respect to relatively preferred embodiments, but it should be apparent that numerous variations and modifications may be made by those skilled in the art, all of which are within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. Eyeglasses (100), comprising at least one temple (102), the temple (102) having a cavity, the cavity leading to the outside through a first hole (104) and a second hole (105) positioned opposite to each other in a transverse direction (Y), the eyeglasses (100) comprising a speaker assembly (1) mounted in the cavity, the speaker assembly (1) comprising a speaker (2) operable to reproduce sound, a speaker housing (3) accommodating the speaker (2) and a processing unit (40) for controlling the operation of the speaker (2), the speaker (2) comprising a diaphragm (20) , the diaphragm (20) is designed to move in order to produce the sound, the diaphragm (20) divides the internal volume of the speaker housing (3) into a front cavity (31) and a rear cavity (32), the front cavity (31) and the rear cavity (32) are connected to the outside of the speaker housing (3) through a front opening (36) and a rear opening (33), respectively, the speaker assembly (1) is installed in the cavity so as to produce air communication between the front opening (36) and the first hole (104) and between the rear opening (33) and the second hole (105), characterized in that The rear opening (33) is positioned to directly face the second hole (105).

2. The glasses (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that: The glasses include at least one microphone, which is configured to generate a microphone signal, and the processing unit (40) is configured to receive the microphone signal, finely process the microphone signal to generate a speaker signal, and send the speaker signal to the speaker (2).

3. The glasses (100) according to claim 2, characterized in that: The microphone is connected to the processing unit (40) via an auxiliary printed circuit board (5), the processing unit (40) is mounted on a printed circuit board (4), and the printed circuit board (4) and the auxiliary printed circuit board (5) are positioned adjacent to each other between a rear wall (35) of the speaker housing (3) and a temple cover (109) of the temple (102).

4. The glasses (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The loudspeaker housing (3) has a top wall (34) facing the second hole (105), and the rear opening (33) is realized in the top wall (34).

5. The glasses (100) according to claim 4, characterized in that: The diaphragm (20) is substantially perpendicular to the top wall (34).

6. The glasses (100) according to claim 5, characterized in that: The loudspeaker housing (3) has a rear wall (35), which defines the rear cavity (32) and is opposite to the diaphragm (20), and the processing unit (40) is connected to the loudspeaker (2) through the rear wall (35).

7. The glasses (100) according to claim 6, characterized in that: The processing unit (40) is mounted on a printed circuit board (4), and the printed circuit board (4) is fixed on the rear wall (35).

8. The glasses (100) according to claim 7, characterized in that: The printed circuit board (4) is flexible.

9. The glasses (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The loudspeaker housing (3) has a bonding surface (30), which is configured to be bonded to a corresponding inner surface (108) of the cavity.

10. The glasses (100) according to claim 9, characterized in that: The bonding surface (30) completely surrounds the front opening (36).

11. The glasses (100) according to claim 10, characterized in that: The bonding surface (30) is at least partially located on a plane that is inclined relative to the diaphragm (20).

12. The glasses (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that: The speaker housing (3) has an auxiliary rear opening (37) directly facing the second hole (105).

13. A head mounted device (100), comprising at least one temple portion (102), the temple portion (102) being arranged to be positioned near an ear of a wearer, the temple portion (102) having a cavity, the cavity being open to the outside through a first hole (104) and a second hole (105) being positioned opposite to each other in a transverse direction (Y), the glasses (100) comprising a speaker assembly (1) mounted in the cavity, the speaker assembly (1) comprising a speaker (2) operable to reproduce sound, a speaker housing (3) accommodating the speaker (2), and a processing unit (40) for controlling the operation of the speaker (2) The loudspeaker (2) comprises a diaphragm (20) which is designed to move in order to produce the sound, the diaphragm (20) dividing the internal volume of the loudspeaker housing (3) into a front cavity (31) and a rear cavity (32), the front cavity (31) and the rear cavity (32) respectively leading to the outside of the loudspeaker housing (3) through a front opening (36) and a rear opening (33), the loudspeaker assembly (1) being mounted in the cavity so as to produce air communication between the front opening (36) and the first hole (104) and between the rear opening (33) and the second hole (105), characterized in that: The rear opening (33) is positioned to directly face the second hole (105).

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