Enablement of device power-on with proper assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9991699-B2
Application number	US-201615144088-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 2, 2016
Priority date	May 2, 2016
Publication date	Jun 5, 2018
Grant date	Jun 5, 2018

Abstract

An electronic device is configured with sub-assemblies including a main logic board, flexible printed circuit, and dual battery packs that are assembled together with electrical connectors to enable power from the battery packs to flow over a power bus that is distributed along the flexible printed circuit and main logic board. A protection circuit module (PCM) in each battery pack is configured to determine a state of each of the connections among the sub-assemblies (i.e., whether or not properly assembled to provide electrical continuity through the connector) so that power from the battery packs is switched on to the power bus only when electrical continuity is verified at each of the connectors. In the event that any connection is faulty, for example due to a misalignment of a connector during assembly that prevents electrical continuity to be established through a connector, neither PCM will switch power on to the power bus.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A wearable electronic device, comprising:
first, second, and third connectors;
a flexible printed circuit;
a first battery pack operatively coupled to the flexible printed circuit with the first connector;
a second battery pack operatively coupled to the flexible printed circuit with the second connector;
a main logic board operatively coupled to the flexible printed circuit with the third connector;
a first protection circuit module disposed in the first battery pack and configured to selectively enable and disable power output from the first battery pack;
a second protection circuit module disposed in the second battery pack and configured to selectively enable and disable power output from the second battery pack; and
a sensing circuit disposed along the flexible printed circuit and main logic board and including one or more sensing signal paths coupling the first and second protection circuit modules through each of the first, second, and third connectors,
wherein the first battery pack provides a first sensing signal over the sensing circuit and the second battery pack is configured to provide a second sensing signal over the sensing circuit, and
the first protection circuit module enables power output from the first battery pack when the first protection circuit module detects the second sensing signal over the sensing circuit and disables power output from the first battery pack when the first protection circuit module fails to detect the second sensing signal over the sensing circuit, and
the second protection circuit module enables power output from the second battery pack when the second protection circuit detects the first sensing signal over the sensing circuit and disables power output from the second battery pack when the second protection circuit fails to detect the first sensing signal over the sensing circuit.

2. The wearable electronic device of claim 1 in which the main logic board is disposed in a front section of the wearable electronic device that is configured to be located proximate to a user's face or forehead when the wearable electronic device is worn by the user.

3. The wearable electronic device of claim 2 in which at least a portion of the flexible printed circuit is disposed in the front section of the wearable electronic device.

4. The wearable electronic device of claim 1 in which the first and second battery packs are respectively disposed in left-side and right-side sections of the wearable electronic device, the left-side section being located proximate to a left-side of a user's head when the wearable electronic device is worn by the user, and the right-side section being located proximate to a right-side of the user's head when the wearable electronic device is worn by the user.

5. The wearable electronic device of claim 4 in which the first connector is located proximate to an interface between the front section and the left-side section and the second connector is located proximate to an interface between the front section and the right-side section.

6. The wearable electronic device of claim 1 further including one or more field effect transistors (FETs) in each of the first and second protection circuit modules.

7. The wearable electronic device of claim 1 in which the one or more sensing signal paths are low power paths.

8. The wearable electronic device of claim 1 in which each of the protection circuit modules includes logic configured to implement state awareness of connector integrity.

9. The wearable electronic device of claim 1 further comprising a main power bus distributed over the flexible printed circuit and main logic board in which power from the first and second battery packs is output from respective first and second protection circuit modules to the main power bus.

10. The wearable electronic device of claim 1 as implemented in a head mounted display device.

Assignees

• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Penny Junius
• Mehta Agustya
• Lukofsky David
• Shoykhet Eugene

Classifications

• H02J7/685

  using connection detecting circuits (H02J7/68 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H02J7/70 Primary

  characterised by the mechanical construction · CPC title

• H02J7/60 Primary

  including safety or protection arrangements · CPC title

• G01R31/50 Primary

  Testing of electric apparatus, lines, cables or components for short-circuits, continuity, leakage current or incorrect line connections (testing of sparking plugs H01T13/58) · CPC title

• H02H11/006

  in case of too high or too low voltage · CPC title