Rotary Watch Crown Input With Sealed Multi-Mode Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electronic devices, such as watches, face challenges with input mechanisms that allow water and environmental elements to enter due to apertures for buttons or switches, and often limit input types, which can reduce functionality as devices miniaturize.
Innovation Solution
A multi-input button system for electronic devices that includes a rotary encoder and sensors to detect rotational and non-rotational inputs, sealed with O-rings or membrane seals to prevent environmental ingress, allowing for multiple input types through a single button, including pressing, rotating, and off-axis activation, while providing haptic feedback.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If buttons or switches are used for input, then user interaction is enabled, but water and environmental elements can enter through apertures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical buttons and switches with a capacitive touch interface that detects user input through changes in capacitance. This eliminates physical apertures in the device enclosure, allowing the housing to be fully sealed against water and environmental elements while maintaining full input functionality through the touchscreen surface.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple input devices are provided, then input functionality is enhanced, but device size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a multi-functional capacitive touch interface where a single touchscreen surface provides multiple input modalities including tap detection, swipe gestures, rotational input, and pressure sensing. This unified interface replaces what would traditionally require multiple separate physical buttons, switches, or dials, thereby maintaining diverse input functionality while minimizing device volume.
3Device complexity
If a single button provides multiple inputs, then device complexity is reduced, but detecting different input types becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs multiple capacitive sensors arranged in an array beneath the touchscreen surface that independently measure capacitance changes at different locations and depths. This sensor array provides rich feedback data that allows the system to distinguish between various input types (tap, swipe, rotate, press) based on the unique capacitance patterns generated by each gesture, enabling accurate input detection despite using a single unified interface.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances user interaction with multiple input types without compromising the device's water resistance, maintaining functionality in a compact form factor and providing dynamic feedback to the user.
Implementation Method 1
sealed with O-rings or membrane seals to prevent environmental ingress
Implementation Method 2
A multi-input button system for electronic devices that includes a rotary encoder and sensors to detect rotational and non-rotational inputs
Implementation Method 3
A multi-input button system for electronic devices that includes a rotary encoder and sensors to detect rotational and non-rotational inputs
Implementation Method 4
providing haptic feedback
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4
AI summary
There is provided an electronic watch (100) comprising: an enclosure (114) defining an aperture (172), a processing element (124) positioned within the enclosure, and a crown (110) operably coupled to the processing element and configured to receive a rotational input. The crown comprises: a user-rotatable head (148), and a stem (150) coupled to the user-rotatable head and extending into the aperture, and a rotation sensor (210a-d) positioned within the enclosure and operably coupled to the processing element. The rotation sensor is configured to detect the rotational input. The electronic watch is configured to provide a tactile feedback as the crown is rotated by the rotational input.