Wearable electronic device

• US 10,620,591 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2016
• Issued: 04/14/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Rothkopf, Fletcher R., Ive, Jonathan, Hoenig, Julian, Zorkendorfer, Rico
• Primary Examiner(s): Gedeon, Brian T
• Application Number:
  US15/261,912
• Publication Number:
  US 20160378069A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,312 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02416 using photoplethysmograph signals, e.g. generated by infrared radiation A61B5/14552 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02427 Details of sensor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02438 with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0245 by using sensing means generating electric signals, i.e. ECG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0261 using optical means, e.g. infrared light
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0295 using plethysmography, i.e. measuring the variations in the volume of a body part as modified by the circulation of blood therethrough, e.g. impedance plethysmography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0816 Measuring devices for examining respiratory frequency measuring frequency of electric signals G01R23/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14551 for measuring blood gases
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14552 Details of sensors specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/681 Wristwatch-type devices
• CPC Class Codes: G04B 3/04 Rigidly-mounted keys, knobs or crowns jointed winding-stem G04B37/06
• CPC Class Codes: G04B 39/02 Sealing crystals or glasses sealing the case and the winding stem G04B37/08
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 13/00 Producing acoustic time signals
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 17/02 Component assemblies
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 21/025 for measuring physiological data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/015 : Input arrangements based on nervous system activity detection, e.g. brain waves [EEG] detection, electromyograms [EMG] detection, electrodermal response detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 : Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user

Abstract

A consumer product that is a portable and, in some cases, a wearable electronic device. The wearable electronic device may have functionalities including: keeping time; monitoring a user'"'"'s physiological signals and providing health-related information based on those signals; communicating with other electronic devices or services; visually depicting data on a display; gather data form one or more sensors that may be used to initiate, control, or modify operations of the device; determine a location of a touch on a surface of the device and/or an amount of force exerted on the device, and use either or both as input.

Claims

1. A wearable electronic device comprising:

a housing defining a front opening;

a band attached to the housing and configured to secure the wearable electronic device to a user;

a cover positioned over the front opening;

a display positioned below the cover;

a touch sensor positioned below the cover and configured to detect a location of a touch input on the cover;

a force sensor positioned below the cover at least partially surrounding the display and configured to detect a magnitude of a force of the touch input on the cover; and

a haptic device configured to provide a tactile output along an exterior surface of the housing in response to the magnitude of the force exceeding a threshold.

2. The wearable electronic device of claim 1, wherein:

the force sensor comprises a compressible layer positioned between the cover and the housing; and

the force sensor is configured to form a gasket between the cover and the housing.

3. The wearable electronic device of claim 2, wherein:

the force sensor comprises;

a first set of electrodes positioned along a first side of the compressible layer; and

a second set of electrodes positioned along a second side of the compressible layer.

4. The wearable electronic device of claim 3, wherein:

the first set of electrodes is fixed with respect to the cover; and

the second set of electrodes is fixed with respect to the housing.

5. The wearable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the force sensor is further configured to detect the location of the touch input on the cover.

6. The wearable electronic device of claim 1, wherein detecting the magnitude of the force comprises detecting a displacement of the cover.

7. The wearable electronic device of claim 1, wherein:

the housing further comprises a rear opening; and

the wearable electronic device further comprises;

a biosensor module aligned with the rear opening and configured to produce a sensor signal;

a processing unit configured to compute a health metric based on the sensor signal, the health metric including one or more of;

a heart rate, a respiration rate, a blood oxygenation level, and a blood volume estimate; and

a rear cover positioned over the biosensor module and having a convex shape that extends toward the body of the user when the wearable electronic device is worn.

8. The wearable electronic device of claim 7, wherein:

the biosensor module comprises;

an array of light sources configured to emit light into a body of the user and including a first light source and a second light source; and

a photodetector configured to receive light reflected from the body and produce the sensor signal;

the rear cover defines a set of windows, each window corresponding to either a light source of the array of light sources or the photodetector;

the first light source and the photodetector form a first photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor;

the second light source and the photodetector form a second PPG sensor; and

the health metric is computed using the first PPG sensor and the second PPG sensor.

9. An electronic watch comprising:

a housing;

a watch band attached to the housing;

a display positioned at least partially within the housing;

a touch sensor positioned over the display and configured to detect a location of a touch input on the electronic watch;

a force sensor at least partially surrounding the display and configured to detect a magnitude of a force of the touch input on the electronic watch;

a biosensor module disposed within the housing; and

a haptic device disposed within the housing and comprising a moving mass configured to produce a haptic output along an external surface of the electronic watch in response to the touch input.

10. The electronic watch of claim 9, wherein:

the moving mass is configured to translate along a linear path to produce the haptic output;

the moving mass comprises;

a frame; and

a magnet array attached to the frame; and

the haptic device further comprises an electrical coil that is configured to induce the translation of the moving mass.

11. The electronic watch of claim 10, wherein the electrical coil is configured to induce a Lorentz force on the magnet array to induce the translation.

12. The electronic watch of claim 9, wherein the haptic device is configured to selectively produce either a single pulse haptic output or a vibration haptic output.

13. The electronic watch of claim 9, wherein:

the haptic output is a first haptic output; and

the haptic device is configured to produce a second haptic output in response to receiving an alert.

14. The electronic watch of claim 11, wherein:

the housing defines a speaker port positioned along a first sidewall; and

the housing defines a microphone port positioned along the first sidewall.

15. The electronic watch of claim 14, wherein:

the housing defines a first aperture along a second sidewall opposite to the first sidewall;

the electronic watch further comprises a crown positioned within the first aperture;

the housing defines a second aperture along the second sidewall; and

the electronic watch further comprises a button positioned within the second aperture.

16. A wearable electronic device comprising:

a housing defining a front opening opposite to a rear portion;

a watch band attached to the housing;

a cover positioned over the front opening of the housing;

a touch sensor attached to the cover and configured to detect a location of a touch input on the cover;

a display attached to the cover;

a force sensor attached to the cover around a perimeter of the display and configured to detect a magnitude of a force of the touch input on the cover;

a haptic device configured to provide a tactile output along an exterior surface of the housing in response to the touch input; and

a biosensor module positioned at least partially within the rear portion of the housing.

17. The wearable electronic device of claim 16, wherein:

the force sensor comprises;

a first set of electrodes positioned along a first side of the force sensor;

a second set of electrodes positioned along a second side of the force sensor; and

a compressible layer positioned between the first and second sets of electrodes.

18. The wearable electronic device of claim 17, wherein:

the cover is attached to the first side of the force sensor;

the force sensor is attached to the housing along the second side of the force sensor;

the compressible layer is formed from silicone; and

the force sensor is configured to form a gasket between the cover and the housing.

19. The wearable electronic device of claim 16, wherein:

the cover defines a groove formed around a perimeter portion of an inner surface of the cover opposite to an exterior surface of the cover; and

an antenna is positioned within the groove and configured to facilitate wireless communications with an external device.

20. The wearable electronic device of claim 19, wherein:

an opaque mask is attached to the inner surface of the cover;

the opaque mask defines an opening through which the display is visible; and

a boundary of the opening of the opaque mask is inward of the groove formed in the inner surface of the cover.