Crown-Based UI Navigation for Small Displays
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for manipulating user interface objects on small personal electronic devices, such as smartwatches and smartphones, are inefficient and lack precision.
Innovation Solution
A user interface system that utilizes a physical crown component, capable of rotation, push, and pull movements, to navigate and manipulate user interface objects on a touchscreen, allowing for efficient selection, zoom, and organization of icons through logical planes and velocity-based interactions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If existing methods are used to manipulate user interface objects on small personal electronic devices, then the device can be operated, but the manipulation is inefficient and imprecise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional touch-based mechanical interaction with a magnetic field-based interaction system. A magnetic object coupled to a crown component generates magnetic field changes that are detected by sensors, enabling more precise control of user interface objects on small display screens without relying on finger dexterity or touch precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a magnetic field as an intermediary between the user's physical crown manipulation and the digital user interface. The magnetic object and sensors create a magnetic coupling that translates mechanical crown movements into precise digital commands, serving as a mediator that enhances both precision and efficiency of interface manipulation.
2Area of stationary object
If the display screen size is reduced to create small form factor devices, then the device portability is improved, but the ease of manipulating user interface objects deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes traditional direct touch manipulation with magnetic field-mediated control through the crown. This allows users to interact with small display elements using larger, more deliberate crown movements that are detected magnetically, making operation of small-screen devices as easy as larger devices while maintaining compact form factors.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a magnetic field dimension to the interaction space. Instead of relying solely on the two-dimensional touch surface, the magnetic coupling between the crown and sensors creates a third dimension of control, allowing precise manipulation of interface objects on small screens through magnetic field variations that encode directional and intensity information.
Data Source
AI summary
User interface navigation on a personal electronics device based on movements of a crown is disclosed. The device can select an appropriate level of information arranged along a z-axis for display based on crown movement. The navigation can be based on an angular velocity of the crown.