Wearable device and control method thereof

Abstract

A wearable device includes a printed circuit board, a fan element, a radar module, an inertial measurement unit, and a processor. The fan element is arranged on the printed circuit board. The radar module is adjacent to the fan element, and the radar module can be used for detecting a rotation state of the fan element to generate a detection signal. The inertial measurement unit is arranged on the printed circuit board, and the inertial measurement unit can be used for measuring a motion state of the printed circuit board so as to generate measurement data. The processor can correct the measurement data according to the detection signal so as to output a corrected measurement result.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a wearable device, and in particular to a wearable device with a correction function. Background Art

[0002] In order to solve the problem of heat dissipation, a fan element must be added to the virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) device. However, general fan elements often produce unpredictable vibration interference due to aging, which will cause a higher detection error rate. In view of this, it is necessary to propose a new solution to overcome the difficulties faced by previous technologies. Summary of the invention

[0003] In a preferred embodiment, the present invention proposes a wearable device, comprising: a printed circuit board; a fan element, disposed on the printed circuit board; a radar module, adjacent to the fan element, wherein the radar module is used to detect a rotation state of the fan element to generate a detection signal; an inertial measurement unit, disposed on the printed circuit board, wherein the inertial measurement unit is used to measure a motion state of the printed circuit board to generate measurement data; and a processor, correcting the measurement data according to the detection signal to output a corrected measurement result.

[0004] In some embodiments, the fan element includes a blade portion, and a metal coating region is formed on the blade portion.

[0005] In some embodiments, the wearable device is implemented as a head-mounted display.

[0006] In some embodiments, the radar module is configured to cover a millimeter wave frequency band between 59 GHz and 67 GHz.

[0007] In some embodiments, the radar module selectively operates in a continuous wave mode or a frequency modulated continuous wave mode.

[0008] In some embodiments, the radar module includes: a transmitter, transmitting a radar signal to the fan element; a receiver, receiving a reflected signal from the fan element; and a controller, generating the detection signal according to the reflected signal.

[0009] In some embodiments, the detection signal includes a time series data, and the time series data is associated with a rotation speed of the fan element.

[0010] In some embodiments, the processor further analyzes the time series data to generate amplitude information and phase information, and the processor corrects the measurement data according to the amplitude information and the phase information.

[0011] In some embodiments, the amplitude information corresponds to a separation distance between the fan element and the radar module, and the phase information corresponds to a rotation angle of the fan element.

[0012] In some embodiments, the inertial measurement unit is a nine-axis sensor and includes: a three-axis accelerometer to measure an acceleration of the printed circuit board; a three-axis gyroscope to measure an angular velocity of the printed circuit board; and a three-axis magnetometer to measure a magnetic field of the printed circuit board; wherein the measurement data includes the acceleration, the angular velocity, and the magnetic field.

[0013] In another preferred embodiment, the present invention proposes a control method, comprising the following steps: providing a printed circuit board, a fan element, a radar module, and an inertial measurement unit, wherein the fan element and the inertial measurement unit are both arranged on the printed circuit board, and the radar module is adjacent to the fan element; detecting a rotation state of the fan element by the radar module to generate a detection signal; measuring a motion state of the printed circuit board by the inertial measurement unit to generate measurement data; and correcting the measurement data according to the detection signal to output a corrected measurement result.

[0014] In some embodiments, the control method further includes: forming a metal coating region on a blade portion of the fan element.

[0015] In some embodiments, the control method further includes: transmitting a radar signal to the fan element through the radar module; receiving a reflected signal from the fan element through the radar module; and generating the detection signal according to the reflected signal through the radar module.

[0016] In some embodiments, the control method further includes: analyzing the time series data to generate amplitude information and phase information.

[0017] In some embodiments, the control method further includes: correcting the measurement data according to the amplitude information and the phase information.

[0018] In some embodiments, the control method further includes: measuring an acceleration of the printed circuit board through the inertial measurement unit; measuring an angular velocity of the printed circuit board through the inertial measurement unit; and measuring a magnetic field of the printed circuit board through the inertial measurement unit; wherein the measurement data includes the acceleration, the angular velocity, and the magnetic field. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing a wearable device according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0020] Figure 2 A schematic diagram showing some components of a wearable device according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0021] Figure 3 A schematic diagram showing some components of a wearable device according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0022] Figure 4 A schematic diagram showing some components of a wearable device according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0023] Figure 5 A flow chart of a control method according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0024] Explanation of symbols:

[0025] 100,200,300,400: Wearable devices

[0026] 110,410:Printed circuit board

[0027] 120,220,320: Fan components

[0028] 130,230,330: Radar module

[0029] 140,340,440: Inertial Measurement Unit

[0030] 150,350: Processor

[0031] 222: Blade part of fan element

[0032] 224: Fan element housing

[0033] 226: Metal coating area

[0034] 332: Transmitter

[0035] 334: Receiver

[0036] 336: Controller

[0037] 442: Three-axis accelerometer

[0038] 444: Three-axis gyroscope

[0039] 446:Three-axis magnetometer

[0040] CR: Correction measurement result

[0041] D1: Fixed distance

[0042] D2: Change distance

[0043] DM: Measurement data

[0044] DS: Separation distance

[0045] DT: Time series data

[0046] EB: Magnetic field

[0047] IE: Phase Information

[0048] IM: Amplitude Information

[0049] MD1: Continuous wave mode

[0050] MD2: FM continuous wave mode

[0051] S510, S520, S530, S540: Steps

[0052] SD: Detection signal

[0053] SE: Radar signal

[0054] SR: Reflected signal

[0055] VA: Acceleration

[0056] VW: Angular velocity

[0057] θ: rotation angle DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0058] In order to make the purpose, features and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, specific embodiments of the present invention are given below and described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0059] Certain words are used in the specification and claims to refer to specific components. Those skilled in the art should understand that hardware manufacturers may use different terms to refer to the same component. This specification and claims do not use differences in names as a way to distinguish components, but use differences in the functions of components as the criteria for distinction. The words "include" and "comprise" mentioned throughout the specification and claims are open-ended terms and should be interpreted as "include but not limited to". The word "substantially" means that within an acceptable error range, those skilled in the art can solve the technical problem and achieve the basic technical effect within a certain error range. In addition, the word "coupled" in this specification includes any direct and indirect electrical connection means. Therefore, if the text describes a first device coupled to a second device, it means that the first device can be directly electrically connected to the second device, or indirectly electrically connected to the second device via other devices or connection means.

[0060] The following disclosure provides many different embodiments or examples to implement the different features of the present invention. The following disclosure describes specific examples of various components and their arrangements to simplify the description. Of course, these specific examples are not intended to be limiting. For example, if the present disclosure describes a first feature formed on or above a second feature, it means that it may include an embodiment in which the first feature and the second feature are in direct contact, and may also include an embodiment in which an additional feature is formed between the first feature and the second feature, so that the first feature and the second feature may not be in direct contact. In addition, different examples in the following disclosure may reuse the same reference symbols or (and) marks. These repetitions are for the purpose of simplicity and clarity, and are not intended to limit the specific relationship between the different embodiments or (and) structures discussed.

[0061] In addition, spatially related terms such as "below", "below", "lower", "above", "higher" and similar terms are used to facilitate the description of the relationship between one element or feature and another element or feature in the drawings. In addition to the orientation shown in the drawings, these spatially related terms are intended to include different orientations of the device in use or operation. The device may be turned to different orientations (rotated 90 degrees or other orientations), and the spatially related terms used herein may be interpreted accordingly.

[0062] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a wearable device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. For example, the wearable device 100 may be implemented by a head mounted display (HMD) or an augmented reality glasses (AR Glasses), but is not limited thereto. Figure 1 In the embodiment of the wearable device 100, a printed circuit board (PCB) 110, a fan element (Fan Element) 120, a radar module (Radar Module) 130, an inertial measurement unit (IMU) 140, and a processor (Processor) 150. It should be understood that although not shown in Figure 1 However, the wearable device 100 may further include other components, such as: a housing, a speaker, a display, or (and) a power supply module.

[0063] The fan element 120 is disposed on the printed circuit board 110. The radar module 130 is adjacent to the fan element 120, wherein the radar module 130 can be used to detect a rotation state of the fan element 120 to generate a detection signal SD. The inertial measurement unit 140 is disposed on the printed circuit board 110, wherein the inertial measurement unit 140 can be used to measure a motion state of the printed circuit board 110 to generate a measurement data DM. The processor 150 is coupled to the radar module 130 and the inertial measurement unit 140 respectively. The processor 150 can correct the measurement data DM according to the detection signal SD to output a corrected measurement result CR. The positions of the radar module 130 and the processor 150 are not particularly limited in the present invention. In some embodiments, the radar module 130 and the processor 150 can be disposed on the printed circuit board 110, or can be disposed outside the printed circuit board 110. It should be noted that the term "adjacent" or "adjacent" in this specification may refer to a situation where the distance between two corresponding elements is less than a predetermined distance (e.g., 10 mm or shorter), and may also include a situation where two corresponding elements are in direct contact with each other (i.e., the aforementioned distance is shortened to 0).

[0064] Generally speaking, the fan element 120 can be used to remove excess heat energy from the wearable device 100, which is particularly required when the wearable device 100 performs a high-speed computing operation. However, the fan element 120 is usually a mechanical element. As the fan element 120 gradually ages, it will generate a non-ideal vibration amount, and this non-ideal vibration amount can be classified as a time-variant random function (Time-Variant Random Function), so it is difficult to filter it out through a general algorithm. In addition, since the fan element 120 and the inertial measurement unit 140 are both disposed on the printed circuit board 110, the non-ideal vibration amount of the fan element 120 will also interfere with the measurement data DM generated by the inertial measurement unit 140.

[0065] In order to overcome this problem, the wearable device 100 of the present invention uses the radar module 130 to detect the rotation state of the fan element 120 and generate a detection signal SD accordingly. Then, the processor 150 of the wearable device 100 can further calibrate the measurement data DM generated by the inertial measurement unit 140 according to the detection signal SD to eliminate the interference factors from the fan element 120. Under the design of the present invention, the processor 150 will be able to provide a highly accurate calibration measurement result CR, which will hardly be negatively affected by the non-ideal vibration amount of the fan element 120.

[0066] The following embodiments will introduce various configurations and detailed structural features of the wearable device 100. It should be understood that these drawings and descriptions are only for example and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0067] Figure 2A schematic diagram showing some components of a wearable device 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 and Figure 1 Similar. Figure 2 In the embodiment of the present invention, a fan element 220 of the wearable device 200 includes a blade portion 222 and a housing portion 224, wherein the blade portion 222 is located within the housing portion 224. For example, a radar module 230 of the wearable device 200 may also be disposed on the housing portion 224 of the fan element 220 to save overall design space, but is not limited thereto. In addition, in order to increase the area detectable by the radar, a metal-coated region 226 may also be formed on the blade portion 222 of the fan element 220. Under this design, the radar module 230 can achieve good detection results using only a lower transmission power. Figure 2 The remaining features of the wearable device 200 are the same as Figure 1 The wearable device 100 is similar to the embodiment, so the two embodiments can achieve similar operating effects.

[0068] Figure 3 A schematic diagram showing some components of a wearable device 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 and Figure 1 Similar. Figure 3 In the embodiment of the present invention, the wearable device 300 includes: a printed circuit board (not shown), a fan element 320, a radar module 330, an inertial measurement unit 340, and a processor 350, and its functions and operations can be described in detail as follows.

[0069] The radar module 330 can be used to cover a millimeter wave (mmWave) frequency band. For example, the aforementioned millimeter wave frequency band may be between 59 GHz and 67 GHz, but is not limited thereto. In detail, the radar module 330 includes a transmitter (TX) 332, a receiver (RX) 334, and a controller 336, wherein the controller 336 is coupled to the transmitter 332 and the receiver 334, respectively. First, the transmitter 332 can transmit a radar signal SE to the fan element 320. Then, the receiver 334 can receive a reflection signal SR from the fan element 320. Then, the controller 336 can generate a detection signal SD based on the reflection signal SR or (and) the radar signal SE. It should be noted that the detection signal SD may include a time series data DT, wherein the time series data DT may be correlated with a rotation speed (Rotation Speed) of the fan element 320. In some embodiments, the radar module 330 can be selectively operated in a continuous wave (CW) mode MD1 or a frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) mode MD2. Based on different operation modes, the radar module 330 can transmit corresponding radar signals SE to the fan element 320, but is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the transmitter 332 and the receiver 334 of the radar module 330 can each include multiple antenna elements (Antenna Elements) (not shown), so as to obtain more detailed detection results.

[0070] The processor 350 may analyze the time series data DT to generate an amplitude information (Magnitude Information) IM and a phase information (Phase Information) IE. In some embodiments, the amplitude information IM may correspond to a separation distance DS between the fan element 320 and the radar module 330, and the phase information IE may correspond to a rotation angle θ of the fan element 320. For example, the separation distance DS may include a fixed distance D1 and a variable distance D2, wherein the variable distance D2 may be continuously adjusted based on a rotation state of the fan element 320. Finally, the processor 350 may calibrate the measurement data DM generated by the inertial measurement unit 340 according to the amplitude information IM and the phase information IE, thereby outputting a calibrated measurement result CR. Figure 3 The remaining features of the wearable device 300 are the same as Figure 1 The wearable device 100 is similar to the embodiment, so the two embodiments can achieve similar operating effects.

[0071] Figure 4 A schematic diagram showing some components of a wearable device 400 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 and Figure 1 Similar. Figure 4 In the embodiment of the present invention, the wearable device 400 at least includes a printed circuit board 410 and an inertial measurement unit 440, wherein the inertial measurement unit 440 is disposed on the printed circuit board 410. In detail, the inertial measurement unit 440 may be a 9-axis sensor, and includes a triaxial accelerometer 442, a triaxial gyroscope 444, and a triaxial magnetometer 446. In detail, the triaxial accelerometer 442 may be used to measure an acceleration VA of the printed circuit board 410, the triaxial gyroscope 444 may be used to measure an angular velocity VW of the printed circuit board 410, and the triaxial magnetometer 446 may be used to measure a magnetic field EB of the printed circuit board 410, wherein a measurement data DM generated by the inertial measurement unit 440 may include the aforementioned acceleration VA, angular velocity VW, and magnetic field EB, but is not limited thereto. Figure 4 The remaining features of the wearable device 400 are the same as Figure 1 The wearable device 100 is similar to the embodiment, so the two embodiments can achieve similar operating effects.

[0072] Figure 5 A flow chart showing a control method according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. First, in step S510, a printed circuit board, a fan element, a radar module, and an inertial measurement unit are provided, wherein the fan element and the inertial measurement unit are both disposed on the printed circuit board, and the radar module is adjacent to the fan element. In step S520, a rotation state of the fan element is detected by the radar module to generate a detection signal. In step S530, a motion state of the printed circuit board is measured by the inertial measurement unit to generate measurement data. Finally, in step S540, the measurement data is corrected according to the detection signal to output a corrected measurement result. It must be understood that the above steps do not need to be performed in sequence, but Figure 1-4 Each feature of the embodiment of the present invention can be applied to Figure 5 of the control methods.

[0073] The present invention provides a novel wearable device and a control method thereof. Compared with the conventional design, the present invention can effectively eliminate the vibration interference of the fan element and obtain the calibrated measurement result, so it is very suitable for application in various devices.

[0074] It is worth noting that the above-mentioned component parameters are not limiting conditions of the present invention. Designers can adjust these setting values ​​according to different needs. The wearable device and control method of the present invention are not limited to Figure 1-5 The present invention may only include Figure 1-5 In other words, not all of the features shown need to be implemented in the wearable device and control method of the present invention at the same time.

[0075] The method of the present invention, or a specific form or part thereof, may exist in the form of program code. The program code may be contained in a physical medium, such as a floppy disk, a CD, a hard disk, or any other machine-readable (such as computer-readable) storage medium, or a computer program product that is not limited to an external form, wherein when the program code is loaded and executed by a machine, such as a computer, the machine becomes a device for participating in the present invention. The program code may also be transmitted through some transmission medium, such as wires or cables, optical fibers, or any transmission mode, wherein when the program code is received, loaded and executed by a machine, such as a computer, the machine becomes a device for participating in the present invention. When actually operated on a general-purpose processing unit, the program code combines with the processing unit to provide a unique device that operates similarly to an application-specific logic circuit.

[0076] In the present specification and claims, ordinal numbers, such as "first", "second", "third", etc., have no sequential relationship with each other and are only used to distinguish two different components with the same name.

[0077] Although the present invention is disclosed as above with preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Anyone skilled in the art may make some changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention shall be subject to the appended claims.

Claims

1. A wearable device, comprising: a printed circuit board; a fan element disposed on the printed circuit board; a radar module adjacent to the fan element, wherein the radar module is used to detect a rotation state of the fan element to generate a detection signal; an inertial measurement unit, disposed on the printed circuit board, wherein the inertial measurement unit is used to measure a motion state of the printed circuit board to generate measurement data; and A processor corrects the measurement data according to the detection signal to output a corrected measurement result.

2. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the fan element comprises a blade portion, and a metal coating area is formed on the blade portion.

3. The wearable device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wearable device is implemented by a head-mounted display.

4. The wearable device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the radar module is used to cover a millimeter wave band, and the millimeter wave band is between 59 GHz and 67 GHz.

5. The wearable device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the radar module selectively operates in a continuous wave mode or a frequency modulated continuous wave mode.

6. The wearable device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the radar module comprises: a transmitter that transmits a radar signal to the fan element; a receiver receiving a reflected signal from the fan element; as well as A controller generates the detection signal according to the reflection signal.

7. The wearable device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the detection signal comprises a time series data, and the time series data is associated with a rotation speed of the fan element.

8. The wearable device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the processor further analyzes the time series data to generate amplitude information and phase information, and the processor then corrects the measurement data according to the amplitude information and the phase information.

9. The wearable device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the amplitude information corresponds to a separation distance between the fan element and the radar module, and the phase information corresponds to a rotation angle of the fan element.

10. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the inertial measurement unit is a nine-axis sensor and comprises: a three-axis accelerometer for measuring an acceleration of the printed circuit board; a three-axis gyroscope to measure an angular velocity of the printed circuit board; as well as a three-axis magnetometer for measuring a magnetic field of the printed circuit board; The measurement data includes the acceleration, the angular velocity, and the magnetic field.

11. A control method comprising the following steps: A printed circuit board, a fan element, a radar module, and an inertial measurement unit are provided, wherein the fan element and the inertial measurement unit are both disposed on the printed circuit board, and the radar module is adjacent to the fan element; Detecting a rotation state of the fan element through the radar module to generate a detection signal; Measuring a motion state of the printed circuit board by the inertial measurement unit to generate measurement data; and The measurement data is corrected according to the detection signal to output a corrected measurement result.

12. The control method according to claim 11, further comprising: A metal coating region is formed on a blade portion of the fan element. 13 . The control method as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the radar module is used to cover a millimeter wave frequency band, and the millimeter wave frequency band is between 59 GHz and 67 GHz.

14. The control method of claim 11, wherein the radar module selectively operates in a continuous wave mode or a frequency modulated continuous wave mode.

15. The control method according to claim 11, further comprising: Transmitting a radar signal to the fan element through the radar module; Receiving a reflected signal from the fan element through the radar module; as well as The radar module generates the detection signal according to the reflected signal. 16 . The control method as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the detection signal comprises a time series data, and the time series data is associated with a rotation speed of the fan element.

17. The control method according to claim 16, further comprising: The time series data is analyzed to generate amplitude information and phase information.

18. The control method according to claim 17, further comprising: The measurement data is corrected according to the amplitude information and the phase information. 19 . The control method of claim 17 , wherein the amplitude information corresponds to a separation distance between the fan element and the radar module, and the phase information corresponds to a rotation angle of the fan element.

20. The control method according to claim 11, further comprising: Measuring an acceleration of the printed circuit board by the inertial measurement unit; Measuring an angular velocity of the printed circuit board by the inertial measurement unit; as well as Measuring a magnetic field of the printed circuit board by the inertial measurement unit; The measurement data includes the acceleration, the angular velocity, and the magnetic field.

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