Electronic device including rotatable annular member

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10001751-B2
Application number	US-201615373008-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 8, 2016
Priority date	Mar 25, 2016
Publication date	Jun 19, 2018
Grant date	Jun 19, 2018

Abstract

Various example embodiments of the present disclosure provide an electronic device including: a housing including a substantially circular opening and a first surface facing in a first direction; a wearing structure configured to enable the electronic device to be removably worn on a part of a human body and connected to the housing; a display disposed in the opening; an annulus installed on the first surface and configured to be rotatable along a periphery of the opining, the annulus including a second surface facing a second direction opposite the first direction; at least one spacer interposed between a part of the first surface and the second surface of the annulus; and a circuit configured to detect a rotation of the annular member and to change the display at least in part based on the rotation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a housing comprising an opening and a first surface facing in a first direction;
a wearing structure configured to enable the electronic device to be removably worn on a part of a human body and connected to the housing;
a display disposed in the opening;
an annulus installed on the first surface of the housing and configured to be rotatable along a periphery of the opening, the annulus comprising a second surface facing a second direction opposite the first direction;
at least one spacer interposed between a part of the first surface of the housing and the second surface of the annulus; and
a circuit configured to detect a rotation of the annulus and to change a function of the display at least in part based on the rotation of the annulus,
wherein the housing comprises a spacer mounting region formed on the first surface of the housing, wherein the spacer mounting region is recessed from the first surface and has an area larger than an area of the spacer.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one spacer extends along a part of the periphery of the opening.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one spacer is connected to the first surface of the housing.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the annulus comprises at least one magnetic element.

5. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the first surface of the housing comprises at least one hole and at least one elastic structure at least partially received in the hole, and the at least one elastic structure is configured to be pressed against the second surface of the annulus.

6. The electronic device of claim 5 , wherein the elastic structure comprises a ball and a spring configured to press the ball against the second surface of the annulus.

7. The electronic device of claim 6 , wherein the magnetic element is disposed to be offset from the center of the ball in a radial direction extending toward the periphery of the opening from a center of the opening.

8. The electronic device of claim 5 , wherein the elastic structure and the spacer are spaced from each other.

9. The electronic device of claim 6 , wherein a hairline is formed on the second surface of the annulus, and is configured to be brought into contact with the ball in a circumferential direction.

10. The electronic device of claim 6 , wherein the second surface of the annulus, which is brought into contact with the ball, comprises a plurality of stop holes arranged at regular intervals in a circumferential direction, and the ball is configured to be selectively insertable into each of the stop holes based on the rotation of the annulus to provide a click sense based on the rotation of the annular member.

11. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising an interface disposed between the housing and the annulus.

12. The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the interface is fixed to the housing and is configured to regulate the rotation of the annulus and to control a deviation of the annulus.

13. The electronic device of claim 12 , wherein the interface comprises at least one locking projection protruding from at least a part of the interface toward the opening, and the interface is fixed such that the locking projection is configured to be locked into a locking recess formed along the periphery of the opening.

14. The electronic device of claim 12 , wherein, the interface comprises at least one guide rib protruding from at least a part of the interface in a direction opposite to the opening, and the interface is configured to rotate the annulus such that the guide rib is seated in a guide recess formed on a corresponding location of the annulus.

15. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein a margin area of the spacer mounting region is formed after the spacer is mounted and is configured to collect particles moved by the rotation of the annulus.

16. The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein the spacer comprises inclined surfaces inclining externally toward a center from both ends of the spacer, and wherein the inclined surfaces are configured to discharge collected particles to the outside of the housing.

17. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the spacer comprises Teflon.

18. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the electronic device comprises a watch type wearable electronic device which is wearable on a wrist.

19. An electronic device comprising:
a housing comprising an opening and a first surface facing in a first direction;
an annulus installed on the first surface of the housing and configured to be rotatable along a periphery of the opening, the annulus comprising a second surface facing a second direction opposite the first direction;
an interface fixed along the periphery of the opening of the housing and configured to regulate the annulus to be rotatable;
at least one spacer fixed to a part of the first surface and in contact with the second surface of the annulus;
a plurality of magnetic elements arranged at regular intervals along a first surface of the annular member facing in the first direction;
a sensor module comprising at least one sensor which is disposed in the opening of the housing and configured to detect a magnetic force of the magnetic element based on a rotation of the annulus; and
at least one processor functionally connected with the sensor module, and configured to output a corresponding function based on a rotation parameter provided by the sensor module and detected based on the rotation of the annulus member,
wherein the housing comprises a spacer mounting region formed on the first surface of the housing, wherein the spacer mounting region is recessed from the first surface and has an area larger than an area of the spacer.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Jung Wook-Dam
• KANG Yongcheon
• Yim Dong-Jin
• Chang Hyun-Seok
• Jung Sanghyuck
• Kim Jeongeun
• Yoon Byoung-Uk

Classifications

• G04G21/00

  Input or output devices integrated in time-pieces · CPC title

• G04B19/283 Primary

  on rotatable rings, i.e. bezel (for graduations on the bezels G04B19/18) · CPC title

• G04C3/004

  Magnetically controlled · CPC title

• G04G17/04

  Mounting of electronic components · CPC title

• G06F1/163 Primary

  Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt · CPC title