Intelligent watch control assembly integrating magnetic induction and mechanical stepless rotation

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of intelligent wearable equipment, and particularly relates to a magnetic induction and mechanical stepless rotation integrated intelligent watch control assembly, which comprises a rotary watch bezel, a magnetic induction unit, a mechanical coding unit and a signal processing module, and is characterized in that the magnetic induction unit realizes continuous angle detection through a permanent magnet array and a Hall sensor; the mechanical encoding unit is connected with an incremental encoder through a reduction gear set to output direction and displacement pulses, and the signal processing module performs synchronous verification and composite event generation on bimodal signals; high-reliability stepless rotation control and any-angle function direct touch are achieved, and the beneficial effects of interference resistance, long service life, friendly blind operation and the like are achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of smart wearable device technology, specifically a smart watch control component that integrates magnetic induction and mechanical stepless rotation. Background Technology

[0002] With the evolution of wearable smart devices, smartwatches have evolved from simple time display tools into multifunctional human-machine interface terminals that integrate health monitoring, information interaction, and mobile control. Users' demands for intuitive operation, response speed, and operational quality continue to increase. Traditional touchscreens have significant limitations in scenarios such as sports, wet hands, or wearing gloves, while physical buttons are difficult to support complex command inputs due to space constraints. Therefore, a rotary control structure that integrates the mechanical feel of operation with the response of intelligent functions has become a key technological path to improve the human-machine interaction experience of smartwatches.

[0003] Currently, the mainstream rotary control solutions in the industry mainly use pure mechanical encoders, optical encoding structures, or magnetic induction structures to acquire signals. Mechanical encoders convert rotational displacement into pulse electrical signals through gears or conductive slip rings, providing good operational feedback but are prone to failure due to wear of metal contacts. Optical encoding solutions avoid physical contact but have stringent requirements for assembly precision and dust and water resistance, and are not stable enough in strong light or dirty environments. Magnetic induction solutions improve durability, but their output only reflects the continuous change of magnetic field strength, lacking clear position discretization criteria, making it difficult to directly map function trigger logic. It is necessary to rely on screen feedback to confirm the operation, which weakens the consistency and reliability of the blind operation experience.

[0004] Existing technologies suffer from deep-seated structural contradictions: the pursuit of high-precision position recognition and deterministic function triggering relies on discrete signal mechanisms with clearly defined threshold boundaries, often sacrificing rotational smoothness or introducing mechanical wear; while using stepless, contactless continuous sensing methods to ensure smooth operation and device lifespan, it is difficult to achieve precise, low-latency linkage between rotational actions and functions without relying on complex post-processing algorithms. The root of this contradiction lies in the architectural decoupling of the sensing mechanism and the interaction logic. Magnetic field sensing provides continuous analog quantities, while the function triggering required by users is a discrete event, and the two lack an inherent hardware mapping bridge. Furthermore, existing solutions generally separate the mechanical transmission and electronic sensing subsystems, failing to form a collaborative verification mechanism. This increases structural complexity and power consumption, and prevents the construction of closed-loop feedback links, limiting the realization of advanced interaction paradigms such as bidirectional rotational differentiated responses. Conventional software optimization is insufficient to fundamentally improve system robustness.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention provides a smart watch control component that integrates magnetic induction and mechanical stepless rotation. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In order to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art, at least one technical problem raised in the background art is solved.

[0007] The technical solution adopted by this invention to solve its technical problem is: a smart watch control component integrating magnetic induction and mechanical stepless rotation, comprising: The rotating bezel is mounted on the outer edge of the watch body in a manner that allows it to rotate freely around the central axis of the watch case. The watch body frame forms the main structure of the watch case, and functional module mounting positions are provided on its inner circumferential side; The magnetic induction unit consists of a permanent magnet array embedded in the inner wall of the rotating bezel and a Hall sensor array fixedly assembled in the corresponding area inside the inner frame of the watch body. The permanent magnet array is distributed at equal intervals along the circumference and the polarities of adjacent permanent magnets are alternately arranged to form a periodic multi-pole magnetic field, so that the Hall sensor outputs a periodically changing analog signal when the rotating bezel rotates. The mechanical encoding unit includes a transmission gear set coaxially connected to the rotating bezel, an incremental mechanical encoder meshing with the transmission gear set, and an electrical interface circuit for connecting the encoder output signal to the main control system. The signal processing module, integrated on the watch motherboard, has dual-channel signal acquisition, threshold comparison, status synchronization and event generation functions. The main control system, running within the watch's application processor, is used to receive and parse composite event commands from the signal processing module and execute corresponding user interface updates or function call operations. The signal processing module is configured with a first channel and a second channel. The first channel processes the continuous magnetic field strength data stream output by the Hall sensor, and the second channel receives the discrete pulse sequence output by the mechanical encoder. The signal processing module also includes a state synchronization logic unit. After receiving the pulse edge signal from the mechanical encoder each time, the unit immediately latches the current Hall sensor sampling value and performs a consistency check with the angle identifier code of the most recent position confirmation event generated based on the magnetic field threshold crossing. If the angle deviation between the two is within a preset tolerance range, a composite control event with directional attributes and an absolute position label is generated; otherwise, it is determined to be an invalid event and discarded.

[0008] Preferably, the permanent magnet array consists of multiple discrete permanent magnets that are radially magnetized and are arranged at equal intervals along the inner circumference of the rotating bezel. Adjacent permanent magnets have opposite polarities, forming a distribution structure that lasts for N magnetic field cycles per revolution. The Hall sensor array is a single linear Hall element or a multi-channel differential Hall sensor chip, with its sensitive axis direction aligned with the radial magnetic field direction of the permanent magnet, and its output terminal connected to the analog-to-digital conversion channel of the signal processing module via a shielded wire.

[0009] Preferably, the transmission gear set consists of a main drive gear and a reduction driven gear. The main drive gear is fixedly connected to the annular flange at the bottom of the rotating bezel, and the reduction driven gear is rigidly connected to the input shaft of the incremental mechanical encoder. The two form an integer reduction transmission ratio greater than 1, so that the mechanical encoder only outputs a few discrete pulse pairs for each rotation of the rotating bezel, thereby reducing the encoder wear frequency and improving the unit angle resolution while retaining the stepless rotation feel.

[0010] Preferably, the first channel of the signal processing module is equipped with a dynamic threshold comparator, whose reference voltage is adaptively adjusted according to the ambient temperature and historical magnetic field reference value; When consecutive sampled values ​​cross a preset rising edge or falling edge threshold range, a position confirmation event is generated and the corresponding absolute angle identifier is recorded. The absolute angle identification code is obtained by dividing 360° into M sectors and mapping them, where M equals the number of permanent magnets, and each sector corresponds to a unique identification code.

[0011] Preferably, the consistency verification rule of the state synchronization logic unit is: Calculate the absolute deviation Δθ between the current Hall sampling value and the cumulative angle θenc of the mechanical encoder; if Δθ≤6°, it is considered valid. Otherwise, it is considered an invalid jitter or false trigger, the event is discarded and the abnormal recovery process is initiated, including clearing the counter, re-performing zero-point calibration, and reporting a sensor out-of-synchronization error after multiple consecutive abnormalities.

[0012] Preferably, the main control system has a pre-set function mapping table that binds several specific angle identification codes to quick function entries; When a composite event with an absolute position label is received and the label matches the mapping table, the corresponding functional module is directly called to achieve blind operation confirmation. For consecutive rotation operations that fail to hit, the scroll list, zoom view, or adjust slider is driven based on the relative displacement provided by the mechanical encoder.

[0013] Preferably, an elastic damping ring is provided in the assembly gap between the rotating bezel and the watch body frame. The elastic damping ring is made of silicone or thermoplastic polyurethane material, surrounds the bottom of the rotating bezel, and is interference-fitted with the inner wall of the frame. The rotating bezel has multiple positioning grooves on its bottom annular flange, which together with the ball spring mechanism on the inner side of the watch body form a weak locking structure. When approaching the preset function trigger angle, it produces a slight tactile feedback to help the user perceive the target position.

[0014] Preferably, the Hall sensor and the mechanical encoder share the same radial cross-sectional area in physical layout, are arranged in layers along the axial direction, and are encapsulated in a metal shield with epoxy resin; The signal processing module and the main control system use the SPI bus communication protocol to transmit composite event data. All power supply lines are processed by an LC filter network to prevent power supply noise from coupling to the analog front end.

[0015] Preferably, the signal processing module is equipped with pressure threshold determination logic. When the Z-axis Hall output value changes beyond a set threshold, the gesture is analyzed in conjunction with the rotation event.

[0016] Preferably, the signal processing module integrates a non-volatile storage unit for periodically recording the zero-point offset parameters of the Hall sensor and the cumulative wear count of the mechanical encoder.

[0017] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: The present invention provides a smart watch control component that integrates magnetic induction and mechanical stepless rotation. Through hardware-level collaborative verification of continuous magnetic field changes and mechanical pulse signals, it avoids the risk of misjudgment under complex working conditions by a single sensing mode. By utilizing reduction gear transmission to reduce the wear rate of the mechanical encoder, the service life of the stepless rotation structure can be extended; it achieves deterministic interactive capability that the rotating bezel can trigger preset functions at any angle, eliminating the dependence on screen feedback; and it ensures stable and reliable operation response even with wet hands, wearing gloves, or in strong light. Through the combination of elastic damping and a weak locking structure, it provides necessary tactile feedback on position while maintaining smooth rotation; the dual-channel signal fusion mechanism also provides a scalable hardware foundation for future expansion of multi-dimensional gesture recognition. Attached Figure Description

[0018] The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the smartwatch in this invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the smartwatch in this invention. Figure 1 ; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the smartwatch in this invention. Figure 2 ; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the smartwatch in this invention. Figure 3 ; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the ball spring mechanism in this invention; Figure 6This is a flowchart of the main control system in this invention; In the diagram: 1. Rotating bezel; 2. Watch body frame; 3. Magnetic induction unit; 4. Hall sensor; 5. Mechanical encoding unit; 6. Transmission gear set; 7. Incremental mechanical encoder; 8. Watch motherboard; 9. Signal processing module; 10. Watch application processor; 11. Main drive gear; 12. Reduced driven gear; 13. Elastic damping ring; 14. Ball spring mechanism. Detailed Implementation

[0020] To make the technical means, creative features, objectives and effects of this invention easier to understand, the invention will be further described below in conjunction with specific embodiments.

[0021] As shown in Figure 1- Figure 6 As shown, an embodiment of the present invention provides a smart watch control component that integrates magnetic induction and mechanical stepless rotation, including a rotating bezel 1, a watch body frame 2, a magnetic induction unit 3, a mechanical encoding unit 5, a signal processing module 9, and a main control system. Among them, the rotating bezel 1 is installed on the outer edge of the watch body in a manner that allows it to rotate freely around the central axis of the watch body; The inner frame 2 of the watch body constitutes the main structure of the watch case, and several functional module mounting positions are fixedly set on its inner circumferential side; The magnetic induction unit 3 consists of an array of permanent magnets embedded in the inner wall of the rotating bezel 1 and an array of Hall sensors 4 fixedly assembled in the corresponding area inside the inner frame 2 of the watch body. The mechanical encoding unit 5 includes a transmission gear set 6 coaxially connected to the rotating bezel 1, an incremental mechanical encoder 7 meshing and linked with the transmission gear set 6, and an electrical interface circuit for connecting the encoder output signal to the main control system. The signal processing module 9 is integrated on the watch motherboard 8 and has dual-channel signal acquisition, threshold comparison, status synchronization and event generation functions. The main control system runs in the watch application processor 10 and is responsible for receiving and parsing the composite event commands from the signal processing module 9 and executing the corresponding user interface update or function call operations.

[0022] The permanent magnet array is distributed at equal intervals along the inner circumference of the rotating bezel 1. Each permanent magnet is arranged in a radial magnetization manner, and the polarities of adjacent permanent magnets are alternately arranged to form a periodically changing multi-pole magnetic field distribution structure. This magnetic field distribution characteristic causes the magnetic field strength detected by the Hall sensor 4 at a fixed position to exhibit a periodic sinusoidal waveform change when the rotating bezel 1 undergoes angular displacement relative to the inner frame 2 of the watch body. The Hall sensor array 4 consists of a single linear Hall element or a multi-channel differential Hall sensor chip, with its sensitive axis direction aligned with the radial magnetic field direction of the permanent magnet to ensure maximum sensitivity response. The analog output terminal of Hall sensor 4 is connected to the analog-to-digital conversion channel in signal processing module 9 via a shielded wire to complete the digital sampling of the magnetic field strength signal.

[0023] The transmission gear set 6 in the mechanical encoding unit 5 consists of a main drive gear 11 and a reduction driven gear 12. The main drive gear 11 is directly fixed to the bottom annular flange of the rotating bezel 1, while the reduction driven gear 12 is rigidly connected to the input shaft of the incremental mechanical encoder 7. The reduction ratio is set to an integer multiple greater than one, so that the mechanical encoder outputs only a few discrete pulse pairs for each complete rotation of the rotating bezel 1. This reduces the encoder wear frequency and improves the resolution per unit angle while retaining the user's stepless rotation operation experience. The incremental mechanical encoder 7 adopts an opto-isolated or metal spring contact structure. Its A / B two-phase signal output terminals are connected to the digital input pins of the signal processing module 9 through anti-interference twisted pair cables to obtain rotation direction and relative displacement information in real time.

[0024] The signal processing module 9 has two independent but logically related signal processing channels: the first channel is used to process the continuous magnetic field strength data stream from the Hall sensor 4, and the second channel is used to receive the discrete pulse sequence output by the mechanical encoder. The first channel is equipped with a dynamic threshold comparator, whose reference voltage is adaptively adjusted according to the current ambient temperature and historical magnetic field reference value to compensate for zero-point drift caused by material aging or external magnetic field disturbance. When a continuous sampled value crosses a preset rising edge or falling edge threshold range, the first channel generates a position confirmation event and records the corresponding absolute angle identifier code. The second channel captures the phase difference between the A and B phase signals through an edge detection circuit, determines the rotation direction according to the standard quadrature decoding rules, and accumulates the number of pulses to calculate the relative rotation amount.

[0025] The signal processing module 9 also includes a state synchronization logic unit. After receiving the pulse edge signal from the mechanical encoder each time, the unit immediately latches the current sample value of the Hall sensor 4 channel and performs a consistency check with the angle identifier code of the most recent position confirmation event. If the deviation between the two is within the allowable tolerance range, the current rotation action is deemed valid, and a composite control event with direction attribute and absolute position label is generated. If the deviation exceeds the tolerance range, it is considered an invalid jitter or false trigger. The event is discarded and the abnormal recovery process is initiated, thus ensuring that the system can maintain a high degree of confidence in operation recognition even in environments with strong electromagnetic interference or severe vibration.

[0026] The main control system has a pre-set function mapping table, which binds several specific angle identification codes to different shortcut function entries; For example, heart rate monitoring can be activated, notification center can be accessed, volume can be adjusted, or the payment interface can be woken up. When the signal processing module 9 reports a composite event with an absolute position label, the main control system directly calls the corresponding function module, and can complete the blind operation confirmation without relying on screen visual feedback. For continuous rotation operations that do not hit the preset angle identifier code, the main control system drives progressive interactive behaviors such as scrolling the list, zooming the view, or adjusting the slider based on the relative displacement provided by the mechanical encoder, achieving a seamless integration of stepless adjustment and fixed-point triggering.

[0027] An elastic damping ring 13 is provided in the assembly gap between the rotating bezel 1 and the watch body frame 2. The damping ring is made of silicone or thermoplastic polyurethane material, surrounds the bottom of the bezel and is interference-fitted with the inner wall of the frame. This structure provides moderate rotational resistance while effectively suppressing the transmission of high-frequency vibrations and avoiding misjudgment of Hall signals caused by slight shaking. Multiple positioning grooves are provided on the bottom annular flange of the rotating bezel 1, forming a weak locking structure with the micro ball spring mechanism 14 set on the inner side of the middle frame. It only produces a slight tactile feedback when approaching the preset function trigger angle, helping the user to perceive the target position without affecting the overall stepless rotation smoothness.

[0028] The Hall sensor 4 and the mechanical encoder share the same radial cross-sectional area in physical layout. They are arranged in layers along the axial direction and encapsulated in a metal shielding cover by epoxy resin potting process to reduce mutual electromagnetic interference and enhance antistatic capability. The signal processing module 9 communicates with the main control system via the SPI bus protocol to transmit composite event data, ensuring low latency and high throughput. All power supply lines are processed by an LC filter network to prevent power supply noise from coupling to the sensitive analog front end.

[0029] The permanent magnet array can be replaced with an axially magnetized ring multipole magnetic ring, which, together with the three-dimensional Hall sensor 4, can achieve a higher-dimensional attitude perception capability. In this configuration, in addition to the rotation angle, it is also possible to detect whether the bezel is being pressed axially, thus introducing a third dimension of interactive freedom; Accordingly, the signal processing module 9 adds pressure threshold determination logic and combines it with rotation events for analysis, supporting the recognition of composite gestures such as rotation + pressure.

[0030] Furthermore, to improve long-term stability, the present invention also integrates a non-volatile storage unit in the signal processing module 9 for periodically recording the zero-point offset parameters of the Hall sensor 4 and the cumulative wear count of the mechanical encoder. When any parameter is detected to deviate from the factory calibration range, the calibration process is automatically triggered or maintenance suggestions are prompted to the user to avoid performance degradation leading to interaction failure. The rotating bezel 1 is mounted on the outer edge of the watch body in a manner that allows it to rotate freely around the central axis of the watch body. Its outer diameter is 38.5mm, its inner diameter is 32.0mm, and its thickness is 1.8mm. It is made of 316L stainless steel in one piece and is treated with PVD coating to improve its wear resistance and corrosion resistance. The bottom of the bezel has a circumferential annular flange with an outer diameter of 31.8 mm and a height of 0.6 mm, which is used to cooperate with the transmission gear set 6 and the damping structure. The inner frame 2 of the watch body constitutes the main structure of the watch case. It is made of aerospace-grade aluminum alloy CNC machined. Several functional module mounting positions are provided on the inner circumference, including PCB card slots for fixing the Hall sensor 4 array, bracket holes for assembling mechanical encoders, and annular grooves for embedding elastic damping rings 13.

[0031] The magnetic induction unit 3 consists of an array of permanent magnets embedded in the inner wall of the rotating bezel 1 and an array of Hall sensors 4 fixedly assembled in the corresponding area inside the inner frame 2 of the watch body. The permanent magnet array is evenly distributed along the inner circumference of the rotating bezel 1, containing a total of 16 neodymium iron boron N52 grade permanent magnets. Each permanent magnet is 2.0 mm long, 1.5 mm wide, and 0.8 mm thick. They are arranged in a radial magnetization manner, with adjacent permanent magnets arranged with alternating polarities to form a multi-pole magnetic field distribution structure with a period of 22.5°. The magnetic field distribution characteristics cause the magnetic field strength detected by the Hall sensor 4 at a fixed position to exhibit a periodic sinusoidal waveform change when the rotating bezel 1 undergoes angular displacement relative to the inner frame 2 of the watch body. Its fundamental frequency corresponds to 16 cycles per revolution.

[0032] The Hall sensor array consists of a single linear Hall element, AllegroA1324LUA-T, whose sensitive axis is aligned with the radial magnetic field direction of the permanent magnet. It has a sensitivity of 5.0 mV / G and an operating temperature range of -40°C to +150°C. The Hall element is soldered onto a flexible circuit board using SMT technology. The flexible circuit board is then fixed to the inner side of the watch body frame 2 via thermoforming, ensuring a constant radial gap of 0.35±0.05mm between it and the inner wall of the rotating bezel 1. The analog output of the Hall sensor 4 is connected to a 12-bit analog-to-digital converter channel in the signal processing module 9 via a double-shielded wire. The sampling frequency is set to 10kHz to meet the Nyquist sampling theorem's coverage requirement for the highest effective frequency (800Hz).

[0033] The mechanical encoding unit 5 includes a transmission gear set 6 coaxially connected to the rotating bezel 1, an incremental mechanical encoder 7 meshing and linked with the transmission gear set 6, and an electrical interface circuit for connecting the encoder output signal to the main control system. The transmission gear set 6 consists of a main drive gear 11 and a reduction driven gear 12. The main drive gear 11 is directly fixed to the bottom annular flange of the rotating bezel 1. Its module is 0.3 and its number of teeth is 60. The reduction driven gear 12 has the same module and its number of teeth is 15. The two form a reduction transmission ratio of 4:1. The reduction ratio is set to an integer multiple greater than one, so that for each complete rotation (360°) of the rotating bezel 1, the mechanical encoder outputs only 90 discrete pulse pairs (i.e., one encoder pulse cycle corresponds to every 4° rotation of the bezel). This reduces the frequency of encoder wear and improves the resolution per unit angle while retaining the user's stepless rotation operation experience.

[0034] The incremental mechanical encoder 7 adopts a metal spring contact type structure, model number BournsPEC11R-4215F-S0024, with a resolution of 24PPR (Pulses Per Revolution), a phase difference of 90°±5° between the A and B phase signals, and a working life of no less than 1 million rotational cycles. The encoder input shaft is rigidly connected to the reduction driven gear 12 via a press fit to ensure no relative slippage. The A / B two-phase signal output terminals are connected to the digital input pins of the signal processing module 9 via anti-interference twisted pair cable (AWG30, shielded to ground). The signal rise / fall times are both less than 100ns to support high-speed edge detection.

[0035] The signal processing module 9 is integrated on the watch motherboard 8 and is implemented using a custom ASIC chip. It has dual-channel signal acquisition, threshold comparison, status synchronization and event generation functions. The first channel processes the continuous magnetic field strength data stream from Hall sensor 4, and the second channel receives the discrete pulse sequence output by the mechanical encoder. The first channel is equipped with a dynamic threshold comparator whose reference voltage is adaptively adjusted according to the current ambient temperature and historical magnetic field reference values. Specifically, the system performs zero-point calibration every 100ms: after determining that the rotation has stopped (i.e., the rate of change of the Hall signal is less than 0.5%FS for 50 consecutive ms), the current Hall output value is recorded as the new zero-point offset reference, and the rising edge threshold is updated accordingly. With falling edge threshold ,in This represents the peak-to-peak voltage within the current cycle.

[0036] in, This indicates the rising edge trigger threshold (unit: V). This represents the falling edge trigger threshold (unit: V). Dynamic zero-point offset voltage (unit: V). This represents the peak-to-peak voltage (in V) within the current magnetic field cycle. This mechanism effectively compensates for zero-point drift caused by material aging or external magnetic field disturbances. When a continuous sampled value crosses a preset rising or falling edge threshold range, the first channel generates a position confirmation event and records the corresponding absolute angle identifier. This angle identifier is mapped by a lookup table: 360° is divided into 16 sectors, each sector corresponds to a unique 8-bit identifier (0x00 to 0x0F), and the sector boundary is aligned with the center of the permanent magnet.

[0037] The second channel captures the phase difference between the A and B phase signals through an edge detection circuit, determines the rotation direction according to standard quadrature decoding rules, and accumulates the number of pulses to calculate the relative rotation. The specific decoding logic is as follows: in, Indicates the direction of rotation (+1 for clockwise, -1 for counterclockwise). , The signal level of phase A / B at the previous sampling time (0 or 1). , This represents the current sampling time level. The relative counter increments by 1 for each detected valid edge. This allows us to obtain the relative displacement in units of encoder pulses.

[0038] The signal processing module 9 also includes a state synchronization logic unit. After receiving the pulse edge signal from the mechanical encoder each time, the unit immediately latches the current sample value of the Hall sensor 4 channel and performs a consistency check with the angle identifier code of the most recent position confirmation event. The verification rule is: calculate the angle corresponding to the current Hall sample value. Accumulated angle with mechanical encoder (in The absolute deviation between (cumulative pulse count) and: ; like If the current rotation action is valid, it is determined that the rotation action is valid and a composite control event with direction attribute and absolute position label is generated. like If the error occurs, it is considered an invalid jitter or false trigger. The event is discarded and the abnormal recovery process is initiated, including clearing the current counter, re-performing zero-point calibration, and reporting the sensor out-of-step error code to the main control system after three consecutive abnormalities.

[0039] The main control system runs within the watch application processor 10 and is responsible for receiving and parsing composite event commands from the signal processing module 9; The main control system has a pre-set function mapping table, which binds several specific angle identification codes to different shortcut function entries; For example, angle identifier 0x03 (corresponding to 67.5°±11.25°) is bound to heart rate monitoring activation, 0x07 (157.5°±11.25°) is bound to notification center call, 0x0B (247.5°±11.25°) is bound to volume adjustment, and 0x0F (337.5°±11.25°) is bound to payment interface wake-up; When the signal processing module 9 reports a composite event with an absolute position label, the main control system directly calls the corresponding function module, and can complete the blind operation confirmation without relying on screen visual feedback. For continuous rotation operations that do not match the preset angle identifier code (i.e.) However, since the angle identification code is not in the mapping table, the main control system drives progressive interactive behaviors such as scrolling the list, zooming the view, or adjusting the slider based on the relative displacement provided by the mechanical encoder, achieving a seamless integration of stepless adjustment and fixed-point triggering.

[0040] An elastic damping ring 13 is provided in the assembly gap between the rotating bezel 1 and the watch body frame 2. The damping ring is injection molded from thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) material with a Shore hardness of 60A. It has a rectangular cross-section, 1.2mm wide and 0.5mm high. It surrounds the bottom of the bezel and is interference-fitted with the inner wall of the frame with an interference amount of 0.15mm. This structure provides a constant rotational drag torque of approximately 0.8 N·cm while effectively suppressing the transmission of high-frequency vibrations, thus avoiding misjudgment of Hall signals caused by minute tremors. The rotating bezel 1 has four positioning grooves on its bottom annular flange. The grooves are 0.2 mm deep and 1.0 mm wide, and are located at 67.5°, 157.5°, 247.5° and 337.5° respectively. These grooves, together with the miniature ball spring mechanism 14 (ball diameter 0.8 mm, spring preload 0.3 N) set on the inner side of the middle frame, form a weak locking structure. As mentioned earlier, the structure only produces a slight tactile feedback (approximately 0.15N) when approaching the preset function trigger angle, assisting the user in perceiving the target position without affecting the overall smoothness of infinite rotation.

[0041] The Hall sensor 4 and the mechanical encoder share the same radial cross-sectional area in their physical layout, and are arranged in layers along the axial direction: Hall sensor 4 is located on the upper layer (near the bezel), and mechanical encoder is located on the lower layer (near the motherboard), with a vertical spacing of 2.5mm; Both are encapsulated in a 0.3mm thick Permalloy 80 shield using epoxy resin (such as Epotek 353ND) potting process. The shield is grounded to reduce mutual electromagnetic interference and enhance anti-static capability (ESD protection level up to ±15kV contact discharge). The signal processing module 9 communicates with the main control system via the SPI bus protocol to transmit composite event data. The clock frequency is 8MHz. The data frame format includes event type (1 byte), direction flag (1 bit), absolute angle identifier (4 bits), relative displacement increment (12 bits), and checksum (8 bits), ensuring that the transmission delay of a single event is less than 50μs.

[0042] All power supply lines are processed by an LC filter network with an inductance of 10μH, a capacitance of 10μF, and a cutoff frequency of approximately 16kHz, effectively filtering out coupling interference from switching power supply noise (typical frequency 100kHz–2MHz) to the analog front end.

[0043] The permanent magnet array can be replaced with an axially magnetized toroidal multipole magnetic ring (such as Arnold Magnetic Technologies' RMB series), with an outer diameter of 30 mm, an inner diameter of 25 mm, a thickness of 1.0 mm, and a number of 8 pole pairs. To achieve higher-dimensional attitude perception capabilities, it is used in conjunction with a 3D Hall sensor 4 (such as TDK Micronas HAL39xy). In this configuration, in addition to the rotation angle, it can also detect whether the bezel is being axially pressed: when the user applies an axial force to cause the bezel to sink by 0.15mm, the Z-axis Hall output value changes beyond the threshold. The signal processing module 9 adds pressure threshold determination logic and combines it with rotation events for analysis, supporting the recognition of composite gestures such as rotation + pressure (e.g., long press to rotate to enter the settings menu).

[0044] Furthermore, to improve long-term stability, the signal processing module 9 integrates a non-volatile storage unit (such as EEPROM with a capacity of 512 bytes) for periodically recording the zero-point offset parameters of the Hall sensor 4 and the cumulative wear count of the mechanical encoder. After each 1000 valid rotation events, the system compares the current zero-point offset value with the factory calibration value (stored in the OTP area). If the deviation exceeds ±15mV, the calibration process is automatically triggered. The system guides the user to slowly rotate the bezel one full turn, and then fits a sine curve and updates the zero and gain parameters. When the cumulative wear count reaches 800,000 times, a maintenance suggestion is sent to the main control system to remind the user to check the status of the encoder contacts.

[0045] In summary, by using hardware-level collaborative verification of continuous magnetic field changes and mechanical pulse signals, the risk of misjudgment under complex working conditions by a single sensing mode can be avoided. By utilizing reduction gear transmission to reduce the wear rate of the mechanical encoder, the service life of the stepless rotation structure can be extended; it achieves deterministic interactive capability that the rotating bezel can trigger preset functions at any angle, eliminating the dependence on screen feedback; and it ensures stable and reliable operation response even with wet hands, wearing gloves, or in strong light. Through the combination of elastic damping and a weak locking structure, it provides necessary positional cues while maintaining smooth rotation. The dual-channel signal fusion mechanism also provides a scalable hardware foundation for future expansion of multi-dimensional gesture recognition.

[0046] The foregoing has shown and described the basic principles, main features, and advantages of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The embodiments and descriptions in the specification are merely illustrative of the principles of the invention. Various changes and modifications can be made to the invention without departing from its spirit and scope, and all such changes and modifications fall within the scope of the present invention as claimed. The scope of protection of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A smartwatch control component integrating magnetic induction and mechanical stepless rotation, characterized in that, include: The rotating bezel is mounted on the outer edge of the watch body in a manner that allows it to rotate freely around the central axis of the watch case. The watch body frame forms the main structure of the watch case, and functional module mounting positions are provided on its inner circumferential side; The magnetic induction unit consists of a permanent magnet array embedded in the inner wall of the rotating bezel and a Hall sensor array fixedly assembled in the corresponding area inside the inner frame of the watch body. The permanent magnet array is distributed at equal intervals along the circumference and the polarities of adjacent permanent magnets are alternately arranged to form a periodic multi-pole magnetic field, so that the Hall sensor outputs a periodically changing analog signal when the rotating bezel rotates. The mechanical encoding unit includes a transmission gear set coaxially connected to the rotating bezel, an incremental mechanical encoder meshing with the transmission gear set, and an electrical interface circuit for connecting the encoder output signal to the main control system. The signal processing module, integrated on the watch motherboard, has dual-channel signal acquisition, threshold comparison, status synchronization and event generation functions. The main control system, running within the watch's application processor, is used to receive and parse composite event commands from the signal processing module and execute corresponding user interface updates or function call operations. The signal processing module is configured with a first channel and a second channel. The first channel processes the continuous magnetic field strength data stream output by the Hall sensor, and the second channel receives the discrete pulse sequence output by the mechanical encoder. The signal processing module also includes a state synchronization logic unit. After receiving the pulse edge signal from the mechanical encoder each time, the unit immediately latches the current Hall sensor sampling value and performs a consistency check with the angle identifier code of the most recent position confirmation event generated based on the magnetic field threshold crossing. If the angle deviation between the two is within a preset tolerance range, a composite control event with directional attributes and an absolute position label is generated; otherwise, it is determined to be an invalid event and discarded.

2. The smartwatch control component according to claim 1, characterized in that, The permanent magnet array consists of multiple discrete permanent magnets that are radially magnetized and are arranged at equal intervals along the inner circumference of the rotating bezel. Adjacent permanent magnets have opposite polarities, forming a distribution structure that lasts for N magnetic field cycles per revolution. The Hall sensor array is a single linear Hall element or a multi-channel differential Hall sensor chip, with its sensitive axis direction aligned with the radial magnetic field direction of the permanent magnet, and its output terminal connected to the analog-to-digital conversion channel of the signal processing module via a shielded wire.

3. The smartwatch control component according to claim 1, characterized in that, The transmission gear set consists of a main drive gear and a reduction driven gear. The main drive gear is fixed to the annular flange at the bottom of the rotating bezel, and the reduction driven gear is rigidly connected to the input shaft of the incremental mechanical encoder. The two form an integer reduction transmission ratio greater than 1, so that the mechanical encoder only outputs a few discrete pulse pairs for each rotation of the rotating bezel, thereby reducing the encoder wear frequency and improving the unit angle resolution while retaining the stepless rotation feel.

4. The smartwatch control component according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first channel of the signal processing module is equipped with a dynamic threshold comparator, whose reference voltage is adaptively adjusted according to the ambient temperature and historical magnetic field reference value. When consecutive sampled values ​​cross a preset rising edge or falling edge threshold range, a position confirmation event is generated and the corresponding absolute angle identifier is recorded. The absolute angle identification code is obtained by dividing 360° into M sectors and mapping them, where M equals the number of permanent magnets, and each sector corresponds to a unique identification code.

5. The smartwatch control component according to claim 1, characterized in that, The consistency verification rule for the state synchronization logic unit is as follows: Calculate the absolute deviation Δθ between the current Hall sampling value and the cumulative angle θenc of the mechanical encoder; if Δθ≤6°, it is considered valid. Otherwise, it is considered an invalid jitter or false trigger, the event is discarded and the abnormal recovery process is initiated, including clearing the counter, re-performing zero-point calibration, and reporting a sensor out-of-synchronization error after multiple consecutive abnormalities.

6. The smartwatch control component according to claim 1, characterized in that, The main control system has a pre-set function mapping table that binds several specific angle identification codes to quick function entries respectively; When a composite event with an absolute position label is received and the label matches the mapping table, the corresponding functional module is directly called to achieve blind operation confirmation. For consecutive rotation operations that fail to hit, the scroll list, zoom view, or adjust slider is driven based on the relative displacement provided by the mechanical encoder.

7. The smartwatch control component according to claim 1, characterized in that, An elastic damping ring is provided in the assembly gap between the rotating bezel and the watch body frame. The elastic damping ring is made of silicone or thermoplastic polyurethane material, surrounds the bottom of the rotating bezel, and is interference-fitted with the inner wall of the frame. The rotating bezel has multiple positioning grooves on its bottom annular flange, which together with the ball spring mechanism on the inner side of the watch body form a weak locking structure. When approaching the preset function trigger angle, it produces a slight tactile feedback to help the user perceive the target position.

8. The smartwatch control component according to claim 1, characterized in that, The Hall sensor and the mechanical encoder share the same radial cross-sectional area in physical layout, are arranged in layers along the axial direction and are encapsulated in a metal shield with epoxy resin; The signal processing module and the main control system use the SPI bus communication protocol to transmit composite event data. All power supply lines are processed by an LC filter network to prevent power supply noise from coupling to the analog front end.

9. The smartwatch control component according to claim 1, characterized in that, The signal processing module is equipped with pressure threshold determination logic. When the Z-axis Hall output value changes beyond the set threshold, the gesture is analyzed in conjunction with the rotation event.

10. The smartwatch control component according to claim 1, characterized in that, The signal processing module integrates a non-volatile storage unit for periodically recording the zero-point offset parameters of the Hall sensor and the cumulative wear count of the mechanical encoder.

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