Wearable smart watch with a control-ring and a user feedback mechanism

• US 10,852,700 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2016
• Issued: 12/01/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Andrey Abramov
• Original Assignee: Andrey Abramov
• Inventors: Abramov, Andrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Leon, Edwin A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Collins, Jason M
• Application Number:
  US15/565,902
• Publication Number:
  US 20180052428A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,695 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G04B 19/283 on rotatable rings, i.e. bezel for graduations on the bezels G04B19/18
• CPC Class Codes: G04B 47/00 Time-pieces combined with other articles which do not interfere with the running or the time-keeping of the time-piece clockwork cases for special purposes G04B37/12; clocks with magnifying glass built in the face G04B39/00; time-pieces in which parts or cases produce special effects, e.g. aesthetic effects, G04B45/00, particularly with inscriptions or pictures moved by hand G04B45/003, with specially shaped cases or parts G04B45/0069; combination of writing or drawing implements with devices for indicating time B43K29/087; combined with cameras, projectors, or photographic printing apparatus G03B29/00
• CPC Class Codes: G04C 3/001 Electromechanical switches for setting or display in general H01H
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 21/00 Input or output devices integrated in time-pieces
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 21/04 using radio waves radio-controlled time-pieces G04R
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 21/08 Touch switches specially adapted for time-pieces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0362 with detection of 1D translations or rotations of an operating part of the device, e.g. scroll wheels, sliders, knobs, rollers or belts

Abstract

A wearable device or a smart watch with a control mechanism that allows efficient user interaction by a combination of means including a control-ring subsystem, with visual and haptic feedback subsystems.

Claims

1. A wearable device comprising:

a controller that is configured to perform general calculations and data processing under a guidance of an operating system and one or more application software;

a data storage communicatively coupled to the controller, the data storage being configured to store the one or more application software to be executed by the controller and one or more data sets associated with the controller;

a digital display communicatively coupled to the controller, the digital display being configured to present text information and graphical information associated with an application of the one or more application software;

a control-ring subsystem communicatively coupled to the controller, the control-ring subsystem being configured to detect a user interaction with a control-ring of the wearable device, the user interaction corresponding to at least a rotation of the control-ring; and

a sensor assembly that includes one or more sensors communicatively coupled to the control-ring subsystem, the sensor assembly being configured to detect the user interaction, and

a haptic feedback system communicatively coupled to the controller, the haptic feedback system including one or more single-point pressure actuators that are configured to communicate a state of the application other than an indication of a receipt of user input, and

wherein, the control-ring subsystem is further configured to determine a user selection event based at least in part on the user interaction.

2. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the control-ring subsystem includes a first control-ring that is configured to receive a first user interaction and a second control-ring that is configured to receive a second user interaction, the first control-ring corresponding to a front-facing control-ring and the second control-ring corresponding to a side-facing control-ring, and

wherein the control-ring subsystem is further configured to:

determine the user selection event based at least in part on a combination of the first user interaction and the second user interaction, the user selection event corresponding to one of a selection, completion of an action, or a cancelation of an action.

3. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the control-ring subsystem is further configured to determine the user selection event based at least in part on the user interaction with the control-ring of the control-ring subsystem, the user selection event corresponding to one or more of (a) a discrete binary selection event, (b) a selection event corresponding to an alignment of a marker associated with the control-ring and a known fixed position on the wearable device, (c) a selection event indicating a positive or negative value change that is relative to a previously established value, (d) a selection event that corresponds to a directional vector, or (e) a selection event indicating progress along a continuum of values.

4. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the control-ring subsystem is further configured to detect an additional user interaction that corresponds to at least one of a velocity, a rotational direction and a change in the rotational direction of the control-ring, or a rate of change of forceful pressure applied to the control-ring, and

wherein, to determine the user selection event is further based at least in part on the additional user interaction.

5. The wearable device of claim 4, wherein the control-ring subsystem is further configured to determine a threshold velocity by which a rotation of the control-ring qualifies as the additional user interaction, the threshold velocity being based at least in part on prior user interactions with the control-ring.

6. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the sensor assembly further configured to detect at least one of a current position or a change in position of the control-ring that occurs in response to receipt of the user interaction, the control-ring further including one or more visual markers that provide a visual indication of the current position of the control-ring,

wherein, to determine the user selection event is further based at least in part on a detection of the current position or the change in position of the control-ring, and

wherein the controller, via the operating system or the one or more application software, is further configured to cause the digital display to present at least one of the text information or the graphical information based at least in part on the user selection event.

7. The wearable device of claim 6, wherein the sensor assembly is further configured to detect a first alignment of the one or more visual markers on the control-ring with a marker shown on the digital display, or detect a second alignment of the one or more visual markers on the control-ring within a boundary shown on the digital display.

8. The wearable device of claim 6, wherein the one or more visual markers on the control-ring correspond to a light element or a display element, and

wherein, the controller, via the operating system or the one or more application software, is further configured to cause the one or more visual markers to activate, deactivate, blink, change color, or change location on the control-ring.

9. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the user interaction further corresponds to one of a forceable pressure applied to the control-ring, a single tap pressure applied to the control-ring, or a double tap pressure application to the control-ring.

10. A smart watch device comprising:

a controller that is configured to perform general calculations and data processing via an operating system and one or more application software,

a digital display communicatively coupled to the controller, the digital display being configured to present text information and graphical information associated with an application of the one or more application software,

an input subsystem communicatively coupled to the controller, the input subsystem being configured to receive a user input via a control-ring subsystem, the control-ring subsystem being configured to detect a user interaction via rotation of a control-ring, and

a haptic feedback system communicatively coupled to the controller, the haptic feedback system including one or more single-point pressure actuators that are configured to communicate a state of the application other than an indication of a receipt of user input.

11. The smart watch device of claim 10, further comprising:

an actuator communicatively coupled to the controller, the actuator being configured to apply a variable amount of friction to the control-ring during the user interaction, and

wherein the controller, via the operating system or the one or more application software, is further configured to set the variable amount of friction, based at least in part on the user interaction.

12. The smart watch device of claim 10, further comprising:

an actuator communicatively coupled to the controller, the actuator being configured to provide kinesthetic feedback by rotating the control-ring in a particular radial direction and for a particular circumferential distance, and

wherein, the controller, via the operating system or the one or more application software, is further configured to cause the actuator to rotate the control-ring in the particular radial direction and for the particular circumferential distance, based at least in part on a presentation of the text information or the graphical information on the digital display.

13. The smart watch device of claim 10, wherein

the one or more single-point pressure actuators are configured to provide tactile feedback that is associated with the user interaction, and

wherein, the controller, via the operating system and the one or more application software, is further configured to cause the one or more single-point pressure actuators to provide the tactile feedback, based at least in part on the user interaction.

14. The smart watch device of claim 10, wherein the haptic feedback system is further configured to selectively apply a pattern of variable vibration via the one or more single-point pressure actuators, the one or more single-point pressure actuators being embedded within the control-ring or a body of the smart watch device, and

wherein, the controller, via the operating system and the one or more application software, is further configured to determine a frequency and magnitude of the pattern of variable vibration based at least in part on the user interaction.

15. The smart watch device of claim 10, wherein the one or more single-point pressure actuators includes one or more refreshable Braille cells that are configured to provide tactile feedback associated with a presentation of the text information and the graphical information on the digital display, the one or more refreshable Braille cells being further configured to indicate characters of a six point Braille alphabet, eight-point ASCII Braille, Computer Braille, Nemeth Braille, or Unified English Braille.

16. The smart watch device of claim 15, wherein the one or more refreshable Braille cells are physically fixed to a position on the control-ring of the control-ring subsystem such that a rotation of the control-ring causes a same rotation of the one or more refreshable Braille cells.

17. The smart watch device of claim 15, wherein the one or more refreshable Braille cells are physically positioned within a body of the smart watch device or a dial of the smart watch device so as to provide multiple distinct channels of tactile feedback.

18. The smart watch device of claim 10, further comprising:

one or more pressure transducers communicatively coupled to the controller, the one or more pressure transducers being configured to provide tactile feedback to a user that indicates a passage of a significant point in time, and

wherein, the controller, via the operating system and the one or more application software, is further configured to cause the one or more pressure transducers to provide the tactile feedback.

19. The smart watch device of claim 10, wherein the haptic feedback system is configured to communicate at least one of the text information or the graphic information presented on the digital display via Morse code or another tactile-based encoding.

20. The smart watch device of claim 10, wherein the state of the application corresponds to at least one of the text information or the graphic information presented on the digital display, the text information or the graphic information being associated with at least one of a user interface feedback other than the menu selection, a textual message, or an alert.