Conductive connection through eyewear hinge

An eyewear device comprising:

• a frame holding one or more optical elements;
• a temple coupled to the frame for supporting the frame in position during wearing of the eyewear device;
• a hinge mechanism that hingedly couples the temple to the frame, permitting pivotal movement of the temple about a hinge axis to dispose the temple between a wearable position and a collapsed position, the hinge mechanism comprising:
• a plurality of hinge knuckles that are respectively connected to one of the frame and the temple and that are intermeshed, together to define a hinge cavity that is hidden from view and that is coincident with the hinge axis, the plurality of hinge knuckles including a pair of end knuckles located at opposite axial ends of the hinge cavity, each end knuckle defining a respective substantially tubular bore co-axial with the hinge cavity;
• and
• a pair of hinge pins pivotally connecting together the intermeshed plurality of hinge knuckles, the pair of hinge pins being located in the pair of end knuckles such as to close off the opposite axial ends of the hinge cavity;
• and
• a conductor extending between the frame and the temple via the hinge mechanism to provide a conductive coupling between components incorporated in the frame and the temple respectively, the conductor passing through the hinge cavity.

A hinge mechanism comprising:

• a pair of hinge pieces, each of which comprises:
• one or more hinge knuckles that are intermeshed with and hingedly engaged with one or more complementary hinge knuckles of the other hinge piece, the engaged hinge knuckles together defining an internal hinge cavity that is hidden from external view and that is substantially co-axial with a hinge axis of the hinge mechanism, the intermeshed hinge knuckles including a pair of end knuckles located at opposite axial ends of the hinge cavity;
• and
• a body portion fixedly attached to the corresponding one or more hinge knuckles, the body portion defining a passage that extends therethrough and that is in communication with the hinge cavity;
• a pair of hinge pins pivotally connecting together the intermeshed hinge knuckles, the pair of hinge pins being located in the pair of end knuckles such as to close off the opposite axial ends of the hinge cavity;
• and
• a conductor that extends through the passages of the respective hinge pieces and through the hinge cavity, such that the conductor is obscured from external view at the engaged hinge knuckles.