Eyewear device lens retention mechanism
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.
1. An eyewear device comprising:
an eyewear frame;
onboard electronics housed by the eyewear frame;
an eyewear lens mounted on the eyewear frame;
a lens retainer by which the eyewear lens is releasably retained on the eyewear frame, the lens retainer comprising a lens ring that extends circumferentially along a periphery of the eyewear lens, the lens ring being an electrically conductive component that is configured for co-operative connection to the onboard electronics and that is disposable between:
a retention condition in which the lens ring engages a peripheral edge of the eyewear lens to prevent removal of the eyewear lens from the eyewear frame, and in which a releasable end of the lens ring is anchored against circumferential movement relative to the eyewear lens to effect dilation of the lens ring, and
a replacement condition in which the lens ring is dilated relative to the retention condition, permitting removal and/or replacement of the eyewear lens, disposal of the lens ring from the retention condition to the replacement condition comprising circumferential movement of the releasable end of the lens ring relative to the eyewear lens to cause dilation of the lens ring; and
a locking mechanism that provides a releasable physical coupling and a persistent electrical coupling with the lens ring, the locking mechanism comprising:
a fastener configured for engagement with a complementary locking formation defined by the lens ring, the fastener being operable between:
a locked condition in which the fastener is engaged with the locking formation of the lens ring such that the fastener anchors the releasable end of the lens ring circumferentially in a position in which the lens ring is in the retention condition, thereby releasably locking the lens ring in the retention condition, and
an unlocked condition in which the fastener is free from the locking formation of the lens ring, permitting circumferential movement of the releasable end of the lens ring relative to the eyewear lens to allow disposal of the lens ring from the retention condition to the replacement condition; and
a conductive contact element that is electrically connected to the onboard electronics and that is in engagement with the lens ring to complete a conductive path which provides an electrical connection between the onboard electronics and the lens ring; and
a spring-loaded bias mechanism configured to resiliently urge the contact element towards contact engagement with the lens ring, thereby to maintain said electrical connection both when the lens ring is locked in the retention condition and when the lens ring is unlocked and is in the replacement condition.
2. The eyewear device of claim 1 , wherein the fastener defines an axis along which the fastener is axially displaceable to dispose the fastener between the locked condition and the unlocked condition, wherein the contact element is resiliently compressible in the axial direction of the fastener, the contact element being axially sandwiched between, on the one hand, an electronics launch of the onboard electronics and, on the other hand, the locking formation of the lens ring, so that the contact element conductively bridges an axial spacing between the electronics launch and the locking formation of the lens ring, resilient action of the spring-loaded bias mechanism being caused by resilient resistance of the contact element to axial compression.
3. The eyewear device of claim 2 , wherein the contact element defines an opening through which the fastener extends axially, such that the contact element is held captive by the fastener against transverse movement in the axial spacing.
4. The eyewear device of claim 3 , wherein the contact element is a spring washer.
5. The eyewear device of claim 4 , further comprising a capture mechanism configured to resist axial extraction of the fastener from the eyewear device when the fastener is in the unlocked condition.
6. The eyewear device of claim 5 , wherein the fastener is a screw having a screw thread that, in the locked condition, is received in a complementary screw-threaded hole defined by the lens ring locking formation.
7. The eyewear device of claim 6 , 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 eyewear frame, so that tightening of the screwing engagement with the lens ring locking formation urges the electronics launch towards the lens ring locking formation.
8. The eyewear device of claim 7 , wherein the electronics 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 electronics launch, so that axial extraction of the screw is resisted by the screw-threaded opening of the electronics launch.
9. The eyewear device of claim 6 , wherein, in the unlocked condition, the locking formation is transversely slidable relative to the screw and the spring washer held captive thereby, allowing circumferential movement of the releasable end of the lens ring to dispose the lens ring to the replacement condition.
10. The eyewear device of claim 6 , wherein a screw head of the screw is located in a complementary recess defined by an electronics launch housing forming part of the eyewear locking formation, such that an axially outer surface of the screw is sub-flush relative to an exterior surface of the electronics launch housing.
11. 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;
a locking formation fixed to the retention ring;
an electrically conductive electronics launch element that is conductively coupled to the processor device;
an elongate fastener that passes axially through the electronics launch element and that is engageable with the locking formation to lock the retention ring in the retention condition; and
a spring washer that is received on the fastener and that is sandwiched between the retention ring locking formation and the electronics launch element, the spring washer being in a resiliently compressed state in which it bears against both the electronics launch element and the retention ring locking formation, thereby providing an electrically conductive connection between retention ring and the electronics launch element.
12. The eyewear device of claim 11 , wherein the fastener is a lock screw that is screwingly engageable with the locking formation to lock the retention ring in the retention condition.
13. The eyewear device of claim 12 , wherein at least part of the lock screw is held captive such as to resist axial extraction of the lock screw from the electronics launch element.
14. The eyewear device of claim 13 , 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.
15. The eyewear device of claim 14 , wherein the screw-threaded opening that holds captive the screw-threaded of the lock screw is provided by the electronics launch element.