Rotatable crown for an electronic device
First Claim
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1. An electronic watch, comprising:
- a housing;
a crown at least partially positioned within the housing and configured to receive rotational and translational input, and comprising;
a shaft;
a resistance member; and
a set of wipers affixed to the shaft and operative to travel along the resistance member during rotation of the shaft, the set of wipers providing an output based on multiple contact points between the set of wipers and the resistance member;
a display positioned at least partially within the housing and configured to depict a graphic in response to at least one of the rotational input or the translational input;
an analog-to-digital converter electrically connected to the set of wipers, the analog-to-digital converter configured to provide a digital output corresponding to the output; and
a processor configured to determine an angular position, a direction of rotation, or a speed of rotation of the shaft using the digital output, and to manipulate the graphic in response to the determined angular position, the direction of rotation, or the speed of rotation;
whereineach wiper divides a resistance of the resistance member at each contact point, and a voltage at each contact point of the multiple contact points varies in response to rotation of the shaft.
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Abstract
A compact crown for an electronic device such as an electronic watch, including a set of wipers capable of determining a rotation angle, rotation direction, or rotation speed, is disclosed. The set of wipers is in contact with at least one resistance member at different angular positions around a rotation axis. The crown may have a group of ground taps disposed along the resistance member and a measured signal may vary based on the position of each wiper as it contacts the at least one resistance member. A compact crown may also include capacitive members and capacitive sensors in order to similarly determine rotation angle, rotation direction, or rotation speed.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. An electronic watch, comprising:
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a housing; a crown at least partially positioned within the housing and configured to receive rotational and translational input, and comprising; a shaft; a resistance member; and a set of wipers affixed to the shaft and operative to travel along the resistance member during rotation of the shaft, the set of wipers providing an output based on multiple contact points between the set of wipers and the resistance member; a display positioned at least partially within the housing and configured to depict a graphic in response to at least one of the rotational input or the translational input; an analog-to-digital converter electrically connected to the set of wipers, the analog-to-digital converter configured to provide a digital output corresponding to the output; and a processor configured to determine an angular position, a direction of rotation, or a speed of rotation of the shaft using the digital output, and to manipulate the graphic in response to the determined angular position, the direction of rotation, or the speed of rotation;
whereineach wiper divides a resistance of the resistance member at each contact point, and a voltage at each contact point of the multiple contact points varies in response to rotation of the shaft. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A crown for an electronic watch, comprising:
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a resistance member on a contact surface; a rotatable shaft; an array of ground taps separating the resistance member into segments of uniform resistivity; a first wiper and a second wiper affixed to the rotatable shaft, the first wiper configured to generate a first output based on a relative position of the first wiper with respect to the resistance member and the second wiper configured to generate a second output based on a relative position of the second wiper with respect to the resistance member; and a processor configured to determine at least one of an angular position, a direction of rotation, or a speed of rotation of the rotatable shaft based on the first output and the second output, wherein; the crown is configured to receive a rotational input and a translational input; and the first wiper and the second wiper are affixed to the rotatable shaft such that the first wiper contacts the resistance member at a first segment that is distinct from a second segment contacted by the second wiper. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification