Temple clip

Abstract

Provided is a temple clip as an attachment capable of mounting an external device or the like to temples having a plurality of kinds of cross-sectional shapes. In the temple clip, a slit for inserting and clamping a temple of eyewear is provided in a block body, and the cross-sectional shape of the slit includes a shape obtained by synthesizing a shape conforming to the cross-sectional shape of at least two types of temples. The temple clip may be provided with a U-shaped leaf spring which covers the block body and urges the block body in the direction of reducing the slit width.

Description

Temple clip

[0001] The present invention relates to a temple clip.

[0002] Attempts have been made to provide eyewear, such as eyeglasses, with various functions. For example, eyewear with camera units integrated into temples has been commercially available. Rather than wearing specialized eyewear to enjoy specific functions, users increasingly desire to attach devices tailored to their everyday eyewear. For example, according to Patent Document 1, a different attachment section is provided for each temple so that a bone conduction speaker can be attached to the temple of a typical pair of eyewear.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-320605

[0004] When attaching an external device to the temple, it was necessary to prepare attachments with multiple types of attachment parts as described above in order to accommodate the various cross-sectional shapes of temples that differ depending on the eyewear. However, preparing a large number of attachments would force the user to select a specific attachment from among them when starting to use the eyewear, and would increase costs by including attachments that are not used.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and provides a temple clip as an attachment that can attach an external device or the like to temples having a variety of cross-sectional shapes.

[0006] In one aspect of the present invention, the temple clip is a temple clip having a block body with a slit through which the temple of eyewear is inserted and clamped, and the cross-sectional shape of the slit includes a composite shape that is compatible with the cross-sectional shapes of at least two or more types of temples.

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a temple clip as an attachment that can attach an external device or the like to temples having a plurality of different cross-sectional shapes.

[0008] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a usage mode of the temple clip according to this embodiment; FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the temple clip; FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a block body; FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the cross-sectional shape of a slit; FIG. 5 is a second side view of the temple clip; FIG. 6 is a first side view of the temple clip; FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a block body according to another embodiment; FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of a temple clip according to another embodiment; FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a temple clip according to another embodiment.

[0009] The present invention will be described below through embodiments of the invention, but the invention according to the claims is not limited to the following embodiments. Furthermore, not all of the configurations described in the embodiments are necessarily essential means for solving the problems. In each drawing, components with the same reference numerals have the same or similar configurations. Furthermore, even in different examples, to avoid complication, components that are the same or similar to those already described may not be referenced by reference numerals.

[0010] 1 is a perspective view showing a usage mode of a temple clip 100 according to this embodiment. The temple clip 100 is an attachment that is attached to a temple 210 of eyewear 200. As will be described in detail later, an external device 300 can be attached to one side of the temple clip 100, and by using the temple clip 100, the user can enjoy the functions of the external device 300 while wearing the eyewear 200.

[0011] The temple clip 100 has an opening on the bottom side and a slit 111 that penetrates from the front side to the back side. As shown in the figure, the user can attach the temple clip 100 to the temple 210 by inserting the temple 210 into the slit 111 from the upper side of the eyewear 200 and clamping it.

[0012] 1 shows the temple clip 100 attached to the temple 210 that is hung on the right ear, but the temple clip 100 can also be attached to the temple 210 that is hung on the left ear. Also, the user may attach the temple clip 100 to the temple 210 and then attach the external device 300 to the temple clip 100, or may attach the external device 300 to the temple clip 100 and then attach the temple clip 100 to the temple 210.

[0013] The external device 300 is assumed to be a device of approximately the same size as the temple clip 100, such as a gyro sensor that detects the movement of the user's head or an imaging unit that captures the scenery in the user's line of sight. While FIG. 1 shows the external device 300 connected to the control device via a wire for power supply and signal exchange, the external device 300 may be an independent device powered by a rechargeable battery and that exchanges signals with the control device via wireless communication. While this embodiment describes a configuration in which the temple clip 100 and the external device 300 are configured separately and detachably, the temple clip 100 may also be configured integrally with the external device 300.

[0014] In this embodiment, as shown by the coordinate axes in the figure, the extension direction of the temples 210 is defined as the X-axis direction, the cutting direction of the slits 111 perpendicular to the X-axis direction is defined as the Z-axis direction, and the direction perpendicular to the X-axis and Z-axis directions is defined as the Y-axis direction. In subsequent drawings, similar coordinate axes based on the state in which the temple clip 100 is positioned as shown in FIG. 1 are also included to indicate the orientation of the structure depicted in each drawing. In particular, the positive X-axis direction may be referred to as "front," the negative X-axis direction as "rear," the positive Z-axis direction as "up," and the negative Z-axis direction as "down" or "bottom." Furthermore, the side of the area between the two open temples 210 in the Y-axis direction may be referred to as "inner," and the other side as "outer."

[0015] 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the temple clip 100. The temple clip 100 is configured to include a block body 110, which is an elastic body, and a U-shaped leaf spring 120 made of a magnetic body.

[0016] As described above, the block body 110 has a slit 111 that has an opening on the bottom side and penetrates from the front side to the rear side. The cross-sectional shape of the slit 111 will be described in detail later. The block body 110 also has accommodation grooves 112 on the top and both side surfaces that are formed to correspond to the shape of the leaf spring 120 so as to accommodate the leaf spring 120. The block body 110 is made of an elastomer so that the slits 111 clamp the temple 210 when the temple 210 is inserted through the slits 111. Specific materials that are used include silicone, rubber, and rubber-like resin.

[0017] The leaf spring 120 reinforces the clamping force of the temple 210 by the slit 111, and when placed over the block body 110, it applies a force in a direction that narrows the slit width (the distance between the opposing surfaces in the Y-axis direction) of the slit 111. When assembling the leaf spring 120 to the block body 110, the leaf spring 120 is placed over the housing groove 112 of the block body 110 while keeping the two opposing surfaces of the leaf spring 120 slightly apart.

[0018] The leaf spring 120 also functions as an attachment portion for attaching the external device 300. Specifically, the leaf spring 120 is made of a magnetic material and can therefore attract a magnet, thereby stably fixing the external device 300 with an embedded magnet to the temple clip 100.

[0019] 3 is a cross-sectional view of the block body 110. As shown in the figure, the opening of the slit 111 is provided on the bottom surface 110a, and the opening is provided with a protrusion 113 that narrows the slit width. By providing such a protrusion 113, it is possible to reinforce the clamping pressure for certain types of temples 210.

[0020] Of the two side surfaces that are parallel to the extension direction (X-axis direction) of the slit 111 and face each other, the outer side surface (first side surface) 110b that faces the external device 300 is adjacent to the bottom surface 110a and perpendicular to it. Meanwhile, the inner side surface (second side surface) 110c that faces the user's face is connected to the bottom surface 110a by a rounded surface (curved surface). Similarly, the outer side surface 110b is adjacent to the top surface 110d and perpendicular to it, and the inner side surface 110c is connected to the top surface 110d by a rounded surface (curved surface). Specific details will be described later.

[0021] Here, the cross-sectional shape of the slit 111 will be described. Fig. 4 is a diagram for explaining the cross-sectional shape of the slit 111. In the temple clip 100 according to this embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the slit 111 is determined so as to be compatible with at least four types of temples. Specifically, the cross-sectional shape of the slit 111 is determined to include a shape that is a combination of shapes that fit the cross-sectional shapes of the four types of temples.

[0022] The cross-sectional shape of the slit 111 shown by a solid line on the left side of the figure includes a shape obtained by combining, for example, a circle 111a that matches the cross-sectional shape of the first temple 210a assuming a thin-rimmed metal frame, a long and narrow rectangle 111b that matches the cross-sectional shape of the second temple 210b assuming a sheet metal frame, a slightly wider rectangle 111c that matches the cross-sectional shape of the third temple 210c assuming a resin frame, and an even wider rectangle 111d that matches the cross-sectional shape of the fourth temple 210d assuming a thick-rimmed resin frame. In the figure, the circle 111a shown by a dotted line (part of which overlaps with the cross-sectional shape of the slit 111) matches the cross-sectional shape of the temple 210a and represents the assumed position when the temple 210a is clamped by the slit 111. Similarly, the dotted rectangle 111b is a rectangle that fits the cross-sectional shape of temple 210b and represents the expected position of temple 210b when pressed into slit 111. The dotted rectangle 111c is a rectangle that fits the cross-sectional shape of temple 210c and represents the expected position of temple 210c when pressed into slit 111. The dotted rectangle 111d is a rectangle that fits the cross-sectional shape of temple 210d and represents the expected position of temple 210d when pressed into slit 111. In other words, the cross-sectional shape of slit 111 includes the outline of a figure obtained by superimposing circles or rectangles that fit the cross-sectional shape of each temple. Here, the matching shape does not necessarily have to be identical to the cross-sectional shape of the temple, as long as it comes into contact with the temple when the elastic material surrounds it and generates an appropriate pressing force. Therefore, the corners of the rectangle may be chamfered, or a polygon (e.g., a hexagon) may be used instead of a circle.

[0023] Furthermore, for example, temple 210b protrudes from the bottom surface of block body 110 when clamped in slit 111, so the cross-sectional shape of slit 111 does not need to be a shape that surrounds the bottom side of the cross-sectional shape of each temple. Also, for a circular temple with a relatively small diameter like temple 210a, it is preferable to place it at the deepest part of slit 111 as shown in the figure so that it comes into contact with slit 111 over a wider area. Since many temples in general eyewear have circular and rectangular cross-sectional shapes, it is preferable that the cross-sectional shape of slit 111 include at least a shape that combines a rectangle and a circle.

[0024] Furthermore, it is preferable that at least the contact surface 111e of the slit 111, which is expected to come into contact with one of the temples, is subjected to an anti-slip treatment. The anti-slip treatment may be, for example, a treatment that provides minute irregularities or a treatment that adheres an anti-slip film with high frictional resistance. Furthermore, when the fourth temple 210d, which has a wide rectangular cross section, is inserted, the above-mentioned protrusion 113 presses against the surface, thereby enhancing the stability of the attached state.

[0025] 5 is a second side view showing the inner surface of the temple clip 100. As described above, the inner surface 110c is connected to the bottom surface 110a and the top surface 110d by rounded surfaces (shaded areas in the figure).

[0026] Generally, when a user wears the eyewear 200, the distance between the temple 210 and the face is not that great, and when the temple clip 100 is attached to the temple 210, the distance between the inner surface 110c of the temple clip 100 and the face becomes even closer. Therefore, if a rounded surface is provided in this manner, even if the temple clip 100 comes into contact with the face for some reason, the discomfort felt by the user can be alleviated. In particular, considering that the bottom side is closer to the face, it is preferable that at least the inner surface 110c and the bottom surface 110a are connected by a rounded surface.

[0027] In this embodiment, the end of the leaf spring 120 extends to a position along the curved surface that connects to the inner surface 110c. If the end of the leaf spring 120 follows the curved surface in this manner, it can be expected that the leaf spring 120 will be less likely to come off the block body 110. Note that, for example, if priority is given to ease of assembly of the leaf spring 120 to the block body 110, the end of the leaf spring 120 may have a flat plate shape that follows the inner surface 110c.

[0028] 6 is a first side view showing the outer surface of the temple clip 100. In particular, a part of the external device 300 is shown overlapping with a dotted line so that the positional relationship with the external device 300 can be seen.

[0029] As described above, the leaf spring 120 is accommodated in the accommodation groove 112 to sandwich the block body 110, but as shown in the figure, the width (length in the X-axis direction) of the leaf spring 120 is smaller than the length of the block body 110 in the X-axis direction, i.e., the length of the block body in the extension direction of the slit 111. In addition, the depth of the accommodation groove 112 is set so that the surface of the leaf spring 120 accommodated in the accommodation groove 112 is flush with the adjacent outer surface 110b. As shown in the figure, a magnet 310 is embedded in the contact surface of the external device 300 that comes into contact with the temple clip 100, and this magnet 310 is attracted to the leaf spring 120, thereby fixing the external device 300 to the temple clip 100.

[0030] At this time, because the surface of the leaf spring 120 and the outer surface 110b are flush with each other, the contact surface of the external device 300 comes into contact with both the surface of the leaf spring 120 and the outer surface 110b. The coefficient of friction on the surface of the block body 110, which is made of elastomer, is greater than the coefficient of friction on the surface of the leaf spring 120, which is made of magnetic material, so the outer surface 110b that comes into contact with the contact surface of the external device 300 functions as an anti-slip surface. In other words, once fixed to the temple clip 100, the external device 300 is less likely to slip during use. In particular, in this embodiment, the housing groove 112 is located in the center of the block body 110 in the X-axis direction, and the frictional forces on the front side and the rear side are generated approximately equally. This is expected to prevent the external device 300 from rotating around the magnet 310 relative to the temple clip 100.

[0031] As described above, the outer surface 110b is perpendicular to and adjacent to the bottom surface 110a and the top surface 110d. By increasing the surface area of ​​the outer surface 110b in this manner, the area in contact with the contact surface of the external device 300 is increased, allowing the temple clip 100 to more stably secure the external device 300. It is preferable that the end of the leaf spring 120 extend to the boundary of the bottom surface 110a. If the end of the leaf spring 120 extends in this manner, the clamping force of the slit 111 can be further reinforced.

[0032] Next, several modified examples of the temple clip 100 will be described. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a block body 110 according to another embodiment, which is a modified example of the temple clip 100. The block body 110 shown in FIG. 7(A) is provided with a slit 111' having a cross-sectional shape designed to accommodate two temples, each of which has a rectangular cross-sectional shape and different widths. The block body 110 shown in FIG. 7(B) is provided with a slit 111" having a cross-sectional shape designed to accommodate a total of three temples, each of which has a cross-sectional shape of two circles and one elongated rectangle, each of which has a different diameter. In this way, the cross-sectional shape of the slit can be designed in a variety of ways, for example, by matching it to the cross-sectional shape of the temples of eyewear with a large market share, or to the cross-sectional shape of the temples of eyewear preferred for wearing a specific external device.

[0033] 8 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of a temple clip 100' according to yet another embodiment. In the temple clip 100 described above, the U-shaped leaf spring 120 is placed over the block body 110 from above. The temple clip 100 configured in this manner is highly convenient because the user does not need to place the leaf spring 120 over the block body 110. On the other hand, in the temple clip 100', the U-shaped leaf spring 120' is placed over the block body 110' from the bottom.

[0034] That is, the block body 110' has accommodation grooves 112' on the bottom and both side surfaces, and the user inserts the temple 210 into the slit 111 from the upper side of the eyewear 200, and then places the leaf spring 120' over the block body 110' so as to cover the underside of the temple 210. By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to prevent the temple clip 100' from coming off the temple 210. Note that, assuming that the temple 210 will protrude downward from the opening of the slit 111, a leaf spring 120' shaped to bypass such a protruding portion may be adopted.

[0035] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a temple clip 100" according to yet another embodiment. In the temple clip 100 described above, the leaf spring 120 functions as an attachment portion that attracts the magnet 310 to fix the external device 300. The attachment portion does not have to be made of a magnetic material that attracts a magnet, and various attachment mechanisms can be used. Furthermore, if the block body itself has a large biasing force in the direction narrowing the slit 111, the leaf spring 120 can be omitted and the temple clip can be constructed using the block body alone. FIG. 9 shows a modified example in which the temple clip 100" is constructed using the block body 110" alone.

[0036] The temple clip 100" has a female mounting screw 130 as an attachment portion on the outer surface 110"b. The female mounting screw 130 may be formed by embedding a metal female screw in the block body 110". In this case, the external device 300 has a male screw as an attachment portion, and the male screw is screwed into the female mounting screw 130 to fix the external device 300 to the temple clip 100".

[0037] 100, 100', 100"...Temple clip, 110, 110', 110"...Block body, 110a...Bottom surface, 110b...Outer surface, 110c...Inner surface, 110d...Top surface, 111, 111', 111"...Slit, 111a...Circular, 111b...Rectangular, 111c...Rectangular, 111d...Rectangular, 111e...Expected contact surface, 112, 112'...Accommodation groove, 113...Convex portion, 120, 120'...Leaf spring, 130...Female mounting screw, 200...Eyewear, 210, 210a, 210b, 210c, 210d...Temple, 300...External device, 310...Magnet

Claims

1. A temple clip having a block body with a slit through which the temple of eyewear is inserted and clamped, wherein the cross-sectional shape of the slit includes a composite shape that is compatible with at least two or more types of cross-sectional shapes of temples.

2. The temple clip according to claim 1, wherein said block body is made of elastomer.

3. The temple clip according to claim 1, wherein the cross-sectional shape of the slit includes a shape that is a combination of a rectangle and a circle.

4. A temple clip according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cross-sectional shape of the slit includes two rectangles of different widths.

5. The temple clip according to claim 2, wherein the cross-sectional shape of the slit includes a circle at the deepest part of the slit.

6. The temple clip according to claim 1, wherein the cross-sectional shape of the slit includes a convex portion at the opening of the slit that narrows the slit width.

7. The temple clip according to claim 1, wherein at least the surface of the slit that is to come into contact with the temple is treated with an anti-slip coating.

8. The temple clip according to claim 1, wherein the opening of the slit is provided on the bottom surface of the block body so that the temple can be inserted from the upper side of the eyewear.

9. The temple clip according to claim 1, wherein the block body has an attachment portion for attaching an external device.

10. A temple clip as described in claim 9, wherein the block body has two opposing side surfaces parallel to the extension direction of the slit, the first side surface on which the mounting portion is provided being adjacent and perpendicular to the bottom surface on which the slit opening is provided, and the second side surface of the two side surfaces being connected to the bottom surface by an R-shaped surface.

11. The temple clip according to claim 1, further comprising a U-shaped leaf spring that is placed over the block body and biases the slit in a direction narrowing the slit width.

12. The temple clip according to claim 11, wherein the leaf spring is made of a magnetic material and functions as an attachment portion for attaching an external device.

13. A temple clip as claimed in claim 11, wherein the width of the leaf spring is smaller than the length of the block body in the extension direction of the slit, and the block body has a recess in a first side surface of two opposing sides parallel to the extension direction for accommodating the leaf spring so that the surface of the leaf spring covering the block body is flush with the adjacent surface.

14. The temple clip according to claim 13, wherein the recess is provided at the center of the first side surface in the extension direction.

15. A temple clip as described in claim 11, wherein the block body has two opposing side surfaces parallel to the extension direction of the slit, the first of which is adjacent and perpendicular to the bottom surface on which the slit opening is provided, and the second of which is connected to the bottom surface by an R-shaped surface.

16. A temple clip according to claim 15, wherein the leaf spring extends to the boundary between the first side surface and the bottom surface on the side of the first side surface, and extends onto the R surface on the side of the second side surface.

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