Capacitive gap sensor ring for an electronic watch
First Claim
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1. An electronic watch comprising:
- a housing defining a display opening and a crown aperture;
a display positioned within the display opening;
a crown positioned along a side of the housing at least partially within the crown aperture, the crown including a cap;
a first set of capacitive elements fixed with respect to the cap;
a second set of capacitive elements fixed with respect to the housing;
a compliant dielectric material that is configured to deform in response to movement of the cap; and
a processing unit that is electrically coupled to the second set of capacitive elements and is configured to;
detect an inward translational movement of the cap toward the housing based on a first change in capacitance between one or more of the first set of capacitive elements and one or more of the second set of capacitive elements; and
detect an outward translational movement away from the housing based on a second change in capacitance between the one or more of the first set of capacitive elements and the one or more of the second set of capacitive elements.
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Abstract
An input mechanism for an electronic watch includes a rotational manipulation mechanism, such as a cap or shaft. The input mechanism also includes a sensor having first capacitive elements coupled to the manipulation mechanism, second capacitive elements, and a dielectric positioned between the first and second capacitive elements. Movement of the manipulation mechanism alters the positions of the first and second capacitive elements with respect to each other and is determinable based on capacitance changes resulting therefrom. In some implementations, the second capacitive elements may be part of an inner ring or partial ring nested at least partially within an outer ring or partial ring.
437 Citations
20 Claims
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1. An electronic watch comprising:
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a housing defining a display opening and a crown aperture; a display positioned within the display opening; a crown positioned along a side of the housing at least partially within the crown aperture, the crown including a cap; a first set of capacitive elements fixed with respect to the cap; a second set of capacitive elements fixed with respect to the housing; a compliant dielectric material that is configured to deform in response to movement of the cap; and a processing unit that is electrically coupled to the second set of capacitive elements and is configured to; detect an inward translational movement of the cap toward the housing based on a first change in capacitance between one or more of the first set of capacitive elements and one or more of the second set of capacitive elements; and detect an outward translational movement away from the housing based on a second change in capacitance between the one or more of the first set of capacitive elements and the one or more of the second set of capacitive elements. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. An electronic watch comprising:
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a housing defining a display opening and a crown aperture; a display positioned at least partially within the display opening; a crown positioned along a side of the housing at least partially within the crown aperture, the crown including a cap; a first set of capacitive elements fixed with respect to the cap; a second set of capacitive elements fixed with respect to the housing; a compliant component positioned between the first and second sets of capacitive elements, the compliant component configured to deform in response to a rotational input applied to the cap; and a processing unit that is electrically coupled to the second set of capacitive elements, the processing unit configured to; detect a first rotational input to the cap in a first direction using a first change in capacitance between one or more of the first set of capacitive elements and one or more of the second set of capacitive elements; and detect a second rotational input applied to the cap in a second direction opposite the first direction using a second change in capacitance between the one or more of the first set of capacitive elements and the one or more of the second set of capacitive elements. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An electronic watch comprising:
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a housing; a display at least partially within the housing; a crown positioned along a side of the housing including a cap; a first set of capacitive elements fixed with respect to the cap; a second set of capacitive elements fixed with respect to the housing; and a dielectric that is configured to deform in response to an input applied to the crown; a processing unit that is electrically coupled to the first and second sets of capacitive elements, the processing unit configured to; detect a first movement of the cap in a first direction that is lateral with respect to the housing based on a first change in capacitance between one or more of the first set of capacitive elements and one or more of the second set of capacitive elements; and detect a second movement of the cap in a second direction that is lateral with respect to the housing based a second change in capacitance between the one or more of the first set of capacitive elements and the one or more of the second set of capacitive elements. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification