Wireless Charging Coil Extending Outside Earpiece Housing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wireless charging systems for headphones, particularly small earpieces like earbuds, face limitations in size constraints, which restrict the size and efficiency of wireless charging coils, leading to slower and less efficient charging.
Innovation Solution
Integrating a wireless charging coil with a portion extending outside the earpiece housing, allowing a larger coil size without increasing the housing size, and using a cable loop to stabilize the earpiece and carry audio/data signals, enabling efficient inductive charging without additional components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the wireless charging coil is located entirely within the earpiece housing, then the housing size is compact, but the charging coil size is limited which reduces charging speed and efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extends the charging coil from a two-dimensional planar arrangement within the housing to a three-dimensional configuration that utilizes space outside the housing. The coil wraps around the cable loop and extends outward, effectively adding a spatial dimension to the coil layout. This allows the coil to achieve a larger effective area and volume without proportionally increasing the housing dimensions, thereby resolving the contradiction between coil size and housing size.
Solution Approach 2:
The charging coil is nested around the cable loop structure, utilizing the existing cable path as a framework. The coil is positioned to wrap around the cable segment that forms the loop, effectively nesting the charging function within the existing mechanical structure of the earpiece. This nesting approach allows the coil to occupy space that would otherwise be unused, increasing coil size without requiring additional housing volume.
2Productivity
If the charging coil size is increased to improve charging efficiency, then charging speed increases, but the space required within the housing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions the coil from a confined planar arrangement to a three-dimensional configuration that extends outside the housing boundaries. By utilizing the cable loop as a structural framework, the coil can achieve a larger effective area without linearly increasing housing volume. This dimensional transition enables higher charging productivity while maintaining compact housing dimensions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts a portion of the charging coil from the housing interior and positions it outside the housing, wrapping around the cable loop. This extraction allows the coil to access additional space that is not constrained by housing dimensions, thereby increasing coil size and charging efficiency without requiring a proportional increase in housing volume.
3Adaptability or versatility
If additional components are added to enable wireless charging, then charging functionality is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cable loop structure serves multiple functions: it provides mechanical support for the earpiece, enables user adjustment for different ear sizes, and acts as a structural framework for the charging coil. By making the cable loop multi-functional, the patent adds wireless charging capability without requiring separate dedicated components, thereby improving adaptability while minimizing increases in device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the charging coil with the cable loop structure, combining two elements into a unified configuration. The coil is positioned to wrap around and integrate with the cable, creating a combined structure that performs both mechanical support and wireless charging functions. This merging reduces the need for separate components and simplifies the overall device architecture.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This arrangement enables faster and more efficient wireless charging for headphones by allowing a larger charging coil, reducing space occupancy within the earpiece housing, and providing a stable fit without increasing the device's size or requiring additional cords.
Implementation Method 1
a headphone device includes an integrated wireless charging coil that can inductively couple with a wireless charger to charge a battery of the headphone device
Data Source
AI summary
In some implementations, a headphone device includes an earpiece housing, a speaker in the earpiece housing configured to produce audio, and a wireless charging coil having a first portion that extends outside the earpiece housing and a second portion that extends within the earpiece housing. A battery charging circuit is coupled to the wireless charging coil, and the battery charging circuit is configured to charge a battery of the headphone device based on electrical current induced in the wireless charging coil.