Eyewear device lens retention mechanism

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10877293-B1
Application number	US-201916256681-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jan 24, 2019
Priority date	Jan 24, 2018
Publication date	Dec 29, 2020
Grant date	Dec 29, 2020

Abstract

An eyewear device has a lens retention mechanism that establishes electrical contact between onboard electronics and a lens ring by a resiliently compressible electrical contact member, such as a spring washer, located within a housing defined by a body of the eyewear device. The retention mechanism can further include a lock screw that is selectively engageable with the lens ring to allow disposal between retention and release of a lens by the lens ring, the lock ring being captured in the housing such as to resist removal of the lock screw from the housing when the lens ring is released for lens removal.

First claim

What is claimed, is:

1. An eyewear device comprising:
an eyewear frame that comprises an optical element holder configured for holding an optical element within view of a user, when the eyewear frame is worn by the user;
onboard electronics housed by the eyewear frame;
a launch housing defined by the eyewear device;
an electronics launch that is conductively coupled to the onboard electronics and that is located within the launch housing;
an electrically conductive retainer housed by the optical element such as to extend along at least a part of a periphery of the optical element, the retainer being disposable between a retention condition in which the retainer is in mechanical engagement with the optical element to resist removal of the optical element from the optical element holder, and a replacement condition in which the retainer allows removal and/or replacement of the optical element, the retainer including a locking formation located in the launch housing;
a fastener that is located at least partially within the launch housing and that extends axially through the electronics launch, the fastener being axially displaceable between a locked position in which it is engaged with the retainer locking formation to lock the retainer in the retention condition, and an unlocked position; and
a resiliently compressible contact element that, at least in the locked position of the faster, is located in axial compression between the electronics launch and the retainer locking formation, urging them apart, the contact element providing a conductive path between the electronics launch and the locking formation of the retainer, thereby conductively coupling the retainer to the onboard electronics via the electronics launch.

2. The eyewear device of claim 1 , wherein the resiliently compressible contact element is a spring washer having an axial opening through which the fastener passes, such that the spring washer is held captive against transverse escape by the fastener.

3. The eyewear device of claim 2 , further comprising a fastener capture mechanism that, in the unlocked position, resists axial extraction of the fastener from the launch housing.

4. The eyewear device of claim 2 , wherein the fastener is a screw having a screw thread that, in the locked position, is received in a complementary screw-threaded hole defined by the retainer locking formation, wherein the screw thread is held captive in the housing to resist axial extraction of the screw thread.

5. The eyewear device of claim 4 , wherein the electronics launch is axially captured between the spring washer and a head of the screw that is accessible from an exterior of the housing, so that tightening of the screwing engagement with the retainer locking formation urges the launch towards the retainer locking formation.

6. The eyewear device of claim 5 , wherein the launch has a screw-threaded opening complementary to the screw thread, the screw head and the screw thread of the screw being located on opposite axial sides of the launch, so that axial extraction of the screw is resisted by the screw-threaded opening of the launch.

7. The eyewear device of claim 4 , wherein, in the unlocked position, the locking formation is transversely slidable relative to the screw and the spring washer held captive thereby, allowing disposal of the retainer to the replacement condition.

8. The eyewear device of claim 4 , wherein a screw head of the screw is located in a complementary recess defined by the housing, such that an axially outer surface of the screw is sub-flush relative to an exterior surface of the launch housing.

9. The eyewear device of claim 1 , wherein the optical element holder is a lens holder for holding an optical lens, the retainer being a retention spring extending circumferentially about the lens to engage a peripheral edge of the lens.

10. An eyewear device comprising:
an eyewear frame that comprises a lens holder configured to hold a lens;
a processor device housed by the eyewear frame and configured to provide one or more electronics-enabled functionalities to the eyewear device;
a metal retention ring housed by the lens holder and disposable between a retention condition in which it mechanically retains the lens in the lens holder, and a replacement condition in which removal or replacement of the lens is permitted, the retention ring having a locking formation comprising a screw-threaded hole;
an electrically conductive launch element that is conductively coupled to the processor device;
a lock screw that passes axially through the launch element and that is screwingly engageable with the locking formation to lock the retention ring in the retention condition; and
a spring washer that is received on the lock screw and that is sandwiched between the retention ring locking formation and the launch element, the spring washer being in a resiliently compressed state in which it bears against both the launch element and the retention ring locking formation, thereby providing an electrically conductive connection between retention ring and the launch element.

11. The eyewear device of claim 10 , wherein at least part of the lock screw is held captive such as to resist axial extraction of the lock screw from the launch element.

12. The eyewear device of claim 11 , wherein the lock screw is held captive against axial extraction by a screw thread of a complementary screw-threaded opening through which the lock screw extends co-axially such that a screw thread of the screw and a head of the lock screw are located on axially opposite sides of the screw-threaded opening.

13. The eyewear device of claim 12 , wherein the screw-threaded opening that holds captive the screw-threaded of the lock screw is provided by the launch element.

14. A lens retention assembly for an eyewear device, the assembly comprising:
onboard electronics housed by the eyewear frame;
a launch housing configured for forming part of an eyewear device;
an electronics launch located within the launch housing and configured for coupling to onboard electronics of the eyewear device;
a metal lens ring for disposal between a retention condition in which the lens ring retainer is in mechanical engagement with a lens of the eyewear device to resist removal of the lens from the eyewear device, and a replacement condition in which the lens ring allows removal and/or replacement of the lens, the lens ring including a locking formation located in the launch housing;
a fastener that is located at least partially within the launch housing and that passes axially through the electronics launch, the fastener being axially displaceable between a locked position in which it is engaged with the locking formation of the lens ring to lock the lens ring in the retention condition, and an unlocked position; and
a resiliently compressible contact element that, at least in the locked position of the faster, is located in axial compression between the electronics launch and the lens ring locking formation, urging them apart, the contact element providing a conductive path between the electronics launch and the locking formation of the lens ring.

15. The assembly of claim 14 , wherein the resiliently compressible contact element is a spring washer having an axial opening through which the fastener passes, such that the spring washer is held captive against transverse escape by the fastener.

16. The assembly of claim 15 , further comprising a fastener capture mechanism that, in the unlocked position, resists axial extraction of the fastener from the launch housing.

17. Th

Assignees

• Snap Inc

Inventors

• Ardisana Ii John Bernard
• Dabov Teodor
• Hintermann Mathias Andreas
• Moskowitz Douglas Wayne
• Shukla Ashutosh Y

Classifications

• G02C1/08

  the rims being tranversely split and provided with securing means · CPC title

• G02C2200/06

  Locking elements · CPC title

• G02C11/10 Primary

  Electronic devices other than hearing aids · CPC title

• G02C2200/08

  Modular frames, easily exchangeable frame parts and lenses · CPC title

• G02C5/001 Primary

  specially adapted for particular purposes, not otherwise provided for or not fully classifiable according to technical characteristics, e.g. therapeutic glasses · CPC title