Amazon Technologies, Inc.

Jung Sik Yang

Jianchun Dong

Xuan Zhong

Zhen Xu

Chun Sik Jeong

Eliot Kim

Han Zhang

Edward Albert Liljegren

Chia-Jean Wang

Charles Robert Watson

Angeles Marcia Almanza-Workman

Niranjan Madan Mohan Bhatia

Chung-Ling Hsu

Yuna Hu

Ilya Daniel Rosenberg

John Aaron Zarraga

Omar Sze Leung

Kenneth Lawrence Staton

Connor Spencer Blue Worley

Thomas Bruno Mader

Shahram Talakoub

Nagendra Bage Jayaraj

Peter A Larsen

Oliver Huy Doan

Sukwon Noh

Devin Bertrum Pauley

Robert Olson

Reuben Eric Martinez

Anna Kim Lee

Alfred Ying Fai Lui

Pierre Djinki

Tony Yuan

Scott Michael Shill

Operation of a head-mounted wearable device is responsive to whether a state of the device is being worn (donned) or not worn (doffed) on the head. The device may operate in a first mode while donned and a second mode while doffed. A capacitive sensor device having an electrode positioned in a bridge of the device provides output data. The output data is processed to determine a baseline value. Later, acquired output data is compared to the baseline value to determine don/doff data indicative of whether the device is donned or doffed. Data from other sensors, may also be used in conjunction with the output data to improve accuracy of the don/doff data. For example, if the output data is above the baseline value and accelerometer data is indicative of motion greater than a motion threshold, the don/doff data may be designated as donned.

System to determine don/doff of wearable device

A head-mounted wearable device (HMWD) with a form factor of eyeglasses incorporates hinges between a front frame and temples. The hinges provide a fully enclosed passage for a flexible printed circuit (FPC). The FPC allows electrical connectivity between devices in the front frame and in the temple. The hinge includes a cam device that provides a biasing force that allows the temples to remain in one of four configurations: closed, transit, neutral, and maximum neutral. When in the transit configuration the biasing force provided by the cam device tends to move the temples towards the closed configuration. When in the maximum neutral configuration the biasing force provided by the cam device tends to move the temples towards the neutral configuration. During use, this biasing of the temples provides a gentle clamping force that assists in maintaining the HMWD on the user's head.

Spring hinge with accommodation for flexible printed circuit

A head-mounted wearable device (HMWD) provides audio output using acoustic quadrupole units (AQU). The AQU produces an acoustic pattern having a first region and a second region. The first region has a first phase and the second region has a second phase that is opposite the first phase. A major axis extending through the regions is directed generally upwards from the ear canal of the user. The ear of the user is within the first region. The second region is directed upward. Bystanders are within an acoustically null region of the acoustic pattern. The acoustically null region is perpendicular to the major axis. Within the acoustically null region, the sound intensity is reduced due to destructive interference between the first phase and the second phase. As a result, the user wearing the HMWD is able hear audio output while audio amplitude perceived by the bystanders is significantly reduced.

Acoustic quadrupole system for head mounted wearable device

A head-mounted wearable device (HMWD) with a form factor of eyeglasses incorporates a compact audio module with transducers that may be operated as an acoustic dipole or acoustic quadrupole. The audio module provides ducts that convey sound with a particular phase from a transducer to particular output ports. The phase of sound emitted from a first output port is opposite to the phase of sound emitted from a second output port. The audio module may include a pair of transducers, enabling operation as an acoustic dipole or quadrupole. The ducts are integrated into elements of the structure of the audio module, minimizing the overall size of the audio module.

Compact audio module for head-mounted wearable device

A head-mounted wearable device utilizes electronics placed in one or more of a left temple or a right temple. The temples are joined to a front frame using hinges. The hinges provide passageways, slots, or other openings to permit passage of a flexible printed circuit (FPC) within an open core of the hinge. The FPC allows communication between the left temple and the right temple. During motion of the hinge, the FPC may twist such that the ends within the hinge are rotated relative to one another while remaining substantially parallel to one another. The overall length of the FPC passing through the hinge remains substantially unchanged between the hinge being open or closed. The FPC remains protected within the hinge and is minimally displaced, preventing the introduction of a crease in the FPC at a hinge line.

Head-mounted computer device with hinge

A head-mounted wearable device (HMWD) may be fashioned that includes temples that pass near each ear of the user. To accommodate different head shapes and sizes, a head contact piece may be mounted to the temple. Head contact pieces with different profiles may be used to improve user comfort, aid in retaining the HMWD on the user's head, improve performance of output devices such as bone conduction speakers, and so forth.

Ergonomic spacer for head-mounted wearable device

A head-mounted wearable device (HMWD) includes a plurality of microphones. These microphones may be used to acquire audio data produced by the user, such as speech, or sound from the ambient environment. In one implementation, a first air conduction (AC) microphone is emplaced at a bridge of the nose of the HMWD, a second AC microphone at a hinge, and a bone conduction (BC) microphone is positioned at a distal end of one of the temples of the HMWD. For example, the BC microphone may be located in the left temple proximate to the apex of the user's ear. A semi-rigid structure may provide mechanical coupling between the user's head and the BC microphone.

Microphone system for head-mounted wearable device

A head-mounted wearable device incorporates a channel inset into a front frame. A flexible printed circuit (FPC) is arranged within the channel and allows communication between a left side of the front frame to a right side. Using the FPC, electronics in a left temple attached to the front frame are connected to the electronics in a right temple attached to the front frame. A retention piece is used to maintain the FPC within the channel, provide protection from an external environment, and so forth. The retention piece may comprise an overmold of silicone plastic.

Head-mounted wearable device with integrated circuitry

A head-mounted wearable device incorporates a transducer into a nosepiece. Vibrations from the user's speech are transferred through the bridge of the nose and are detected by the transducer to produce an audio signal. In one implementation, a nose plate with a pair of attached nosepieces is mounted to a transducer, such as an accelerometer. The nose plate may be affixed to a front frame of the head-mounted wearable device using a motion limiter mechanism.

Wearable device with bone conduction microphone

A head-mounted wearable device (HMWD) may be fashioned that includes temples that pass near each ear of the user. A temple may incorporate a bone conduction speaker (BCS) to provide audio output to the user. During wear, a portion of the BCS is in physical contact with a head of the user to transfer the vibrations from the BCS to the user. To accommodate different head shapes and sizes, a head contact piece may be mounted to the BCS. The user may add, remove, or swap the head contact piece from an assortment of such pieces to find a profile that is comfortable to the wearer and improves performance of the BCS. The head contact piece may be magnetically affixed, allowing for easy changeout.

Field replaceable spacer for head-mounted wearable device

Lenses may be mounted to eyewear using several techniques. A first technique involves the use of a lens unit that is mounted to a frame at a frame bridge. The lens unit includes a lens frame split proximate to the frame bridge, allowing the frame to be opened and a lens inserted. A second technique involves a mechanical interference arrangement that allows a lens to be inserted into, and retained by, a frame groove in a front frame. An inner cover may then be affixed to the front frame to enclose electronics in the front frame.

Eyewear lens attachment system

A head-mounted wearable device (HMWD) includes a bone conduction speaker (BCS) to provide audio output to a user wearing the HMWD. The BCS may be mounted within a recess of a temple of the HMWD. During wear a portion of the BCS is in physical contact with a head of the user. In one implementation, a head contact piece may be mounted to the side of the BCS that is proximate to the head. The head contact piece is contoured to maximize the contact area with the head, and may have a cross section that is approximately wedge shaped, with a thicker portion of the wedge proximate to the front of the HMWD. The BCS may include low damping elements to provide protection to the BCS from damage and improve performance, as well as high damping elements to reduce the transfer of vibrations from the BCS to the temple.

Bone conduction speaker for head-mounted wearable device

The single layer compressive substrate force sensor may include electrode patterns formed directly on a first side and second side of the compressive substrate. At least some of the electrode patterns are configured to provide a change in capacitance proportional with a compressive force applied to at least one of the electrode patterns, which compresses the compressive substrate. The single layer compressive substrate force sensor may include a first top electrode and a second top electrode pattern separated by an insulator to void contact between the electrode patterns. In operation, the first top electrode pattern and the second top electrode pattern are configured to provide projective capacitance, and thus provide detection of light touches or hover actions by an object.

Single substrate layer force sensor

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media are disclosed for ambient light sensing for electronic displays. In one embodiment, a device may include a cover layer, a display, and a capacitive sensor stack positioned in between the cover layer and the display. The capacitive sensor stack may include a first sensor optically coupled to the cover layer, a light guide optically coupled to the first sensor, where the light guide is translucent and compressible, and a second sensor optically coupled to the display and to the light guide. The capacitive sensor stack may be configured to detect a force received at the cover film and to compress in response to the force.

Display stack with compressible capacitive sensors

A wearable device comprises a first member, a second member that is configured to move relative to the first member, a sensor disposed on the first member, one or more components disposed on the second member, and an authentication module. The sensor is configured to output a sense signal that is indicative of a distance between the sensor and at least one of the one or more components. When the wearable device is worn by a user, the wearable device may be authenticated. The sense signal indicates when at least a portion of the wearable device is opened and/or removed. The wearable device may be de-authenticated based at least in part on the sense signal indicating that a portion of the wearable device has been opened or removed.

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Cupertino, CA, United States of America

Jung Sik Yang