Systems, articles and methods for wearable electronic devices employing contact sensors

Abstract

Wearable electronic devices that employ one or more contact sensors (e.g., capacitive sensors and / or biometric sensors) are described. Contact sensors include electromyography sensors and / or capacitive touch sensors. Capacitive touch sensors include single-frequency capacitive touch sensors, recently-proposed swept frequency capacitive touch sensors, and a generalized version of swept frequency capacitive touch sensors referred to as multi-frequency capacitive touch sensors. The contact sensors are integrated into various devices, including generic watchstraps that may be substituted for the existing watchstrap in any wristwatch design, generic watch back-plates that may be substituted for the existing back-plate in any wristwatch design, and wearable electromyography devices that provide gesture-based control in a human-electronics interface.

Description

BACKGROUND[0001]1. Technical Field[0002]The present systems, articles and methods generally relate to wearable electronic devices having on-board sensors, and particularly relate to wearable electronic devices that incorporate one or more contact sensor(s) of any one or more of a variety of different types.[0003]2. Description of the Related ArtWearable Electronic Devices[0004]Electronic devices are commonplace throughout most of the world today. Advancements in integrated circuit technology have enabled the development of electronic devices that are sufficiently small and lightweight to be carried by the user. Such “portable” electronic devices may include on-board power supplies (such as batteries or other power storage systems) and may be designed to operate without any wire-connections to other electronic systems; however, a small and lightweight electronic device may still be considered portable even if it includes a wire-connection to another electronic system. For example, a ...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

However, the convenience of being able to carry a portable electronic device has also introduced the inconvenience of having one's hand(s) encumbered by the device itself.

However, at least as a consequence of their limited functionality, the initial designs for smart watches never took off in consumer markets.

Otherwise, the back-plate that is common to all known wristwatch designs does not typically provide or enable other functions and / or capabilities of the wristwatch.

Beyond this, the watchstrap that is common to virtually all known wristwatch designs does not typically impart or enable any functionality or capability in the watch itself.

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