Wearable electronic device including a shape memory material for opening, closing or adjusting strap portions of the wearable electronic device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10061350-B2
Application number	US-201314142611-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 27, 2013
Priority date	Dec 27, 2013
Publication date	Aug 28, 2018
Grant date	Aug 28, 2018

Abstract

Particular embodiments described herein provide for a wearable electronic device, such as a bracelet, watch, wristband or armband that includes a circuit board coupled to a plurality of electronic components (which may include any type of components, elements, circuitry, etc.). One particular implementation of a wearable electronic device may include one or more strap portions that may each comprise a shape memory material, which has a default shape. At least one strap portion may further comprise one or more input elements configured to register one or more inputs and logic configured to receive input data based the one or more inputs and to manipulate, based, at least in part, on the input data, the shape memory material for each of the one or more strap portions from a deformed shape back to its default shape.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wearable electronic device, comprising:
one or more straps, wherein each of the one or more straps comprise a shape memory material, wherein the shape memory material is a shape memory alloy (SMA) is configured within each of the one or more straps as at least one first SMA wire that has a first default shape that corresponds to a closed configuration for the wearable electronic device and at least one second SMA wire that has a second default shape that corresponds to an opened configuration for the wearable electronic device, and wherein at least one strap further comprises:
at least one input element configured to register one or more inputs; and
logic configured to receive input data based the one or more inputs and to separately apply, based, at least in part on the input data, a current to each of the at least one first SMA wire or the at least one second SMA wire to open or close the one or more straps of the wearable electronic device.

2. The wearable electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a proximity sensor configured in one end of the one or more straps configured to detect when the wearable electronic device is in a closed or open configuration, wherein the logic is further configured to separately apply the current to the at least one first SMA wire or the at least one second SMA wire based additionally on whether the wearable electronic device is, respectively, in an opened or closed configuration.

3. A wearable electronic device, comprising:
one or more straps, wherein each of the one or more straps is made of the shape memory material, which is a shape memory polymer, having a default shape, and wherein at least one strap further comprises:
at least one input element configured to register one or more inputs; and
logic configured to receive input data based the one or more inputs and to manipulate, based on the input data, each of the one or more straps to their respective default shapes by applying a current to each of a heating device configured to displace heat throughout the shape memory polymer within each of the one or more straps; and

a proximity sensor configured in one end of the one or more straps, wherein the logic is further configured to remove the current from each heating device when the proximity sensor detects an opposing end of the one or more straps.

4. The wearable electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the logic is further configured to determine from the input data whether inputs are registered by certain segments of at least one input element and to apply a current to a heating device for inputs to a particular segment of the at least one input element that is associated with the one or more straps that contains the heating device.

5. The wearable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the received input data includes at least one of:
touch input data corresponding to one or more touches registered by a touch input element;
motion input data corresponding to one or more gestures registered by a motion input element; and
voice input data corresponding to one or more voice commands registered by a voice input element.

6. The wearable electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a first input element configured to register one or more inputs on an outer surface of the one or more straps that includes the first input element; and
a second input element configured to register one or more inputs on an inner surface of the one or more straps that includes the second input element.

7. The wearable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the input element is contained in an input portion that is secured to the one or more straps and wherein the input portion further includes an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display.

8. A wearable electronic device, comprising:
logic, at least a portion of which is partially implemented in hardware, the logic configured to:
receive input data for one or more inputs registered by one or more input elements; and
manipulate a shape memory material from a deformed shape to a default shape for each of one or more straps of the wearable electronic device, wherein the shape memory material is a shape memory alloy (SMA) configured as at least one first SMA wire having a first default shape and at least one second SMA wire having a second default shape different from the first default shape, and wherein the manipulation causes a current to be separately applied, based, at least in part, on the input data, to each of the at least one first SMA wire or the at least one second SMA wire.

9. The wearable electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the logic is further configured to:
remove the current from each of the at least one first SMA wire and the at least one second SMA wire after a predetermined period of time.

10. A wearable electronic device, comprising:
logic, at least a portion of which is partially implemented in hardware, the logic configured to:
receive input data for one or more inputs registered by one or more input elements;
manipulate a shape memory material from a deformed shape to a default shape for each of one or more straps of the wearable electronic device, wherein each of the one or more straps is made of the shape memory material, which is a shape memory polymer, and wherein the manipulation causes a current to each of a heating device to displace heat throughout the shape memory polymer within each of the one or more straps; and
remove the current from the heating device configured to displace heat throughout the shape memory polymer within each of the one or more straps after a predetermined period of time.

11. The wearable electronic device of claim 10 , wherein the logic is further configured to:
determine from the input data whether inputs are registered by certain segments of at least one input element; and
apply a current to a heating device for inputs to a particular segment of the at least one input element that are associated with the one or more straps that contains the heating device.

12. At least one computer readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed, by a processor, cause the processor to:
receive input data for on one or more inputs registered by one or more input elements; and
manipulate a shape memory material from a deformed shape back to a default shape for each of one or more straps of a wearable electronic device, wherein the shape memory material is a shape memory alloy (SMA) configured as at least one first SMA wire and at least one second SMA wire in each of the one or more straps, and wherein the manipulation causes a current to be separately applied, based at least on the input data, to each of the at least one first SMA wire and the at least one second SMA wire.

13. The medium of claim 12 , wherein the manipulation causes the current to be removed from a heating device configured to displace heat throughout the shape memory polymer within each of the one or more straps after a predetermined period of time.

14. A method, comprising:
receiving input data for one or more inputs registered by one or more input elements; and
manipulating, based, at least in part, on the input data, a shape memory material from a deformed shape back to a default shape for each of one or more straps of a wearable electronic device, wherein the shape memory material is a shape memory alloy (SMA) configured within each of the one or more straps as at least one first SMA wire that has a first default shape that corresponds to a closed configuration for the wearable electronic device, and at least one second SMA wire that has a second default shape that corresponds

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Magi Aleksander

Classifications

• A41D13/08

  Arm or hand (protective gloves A41D19/015 {; protectors for the hands of players or sportsmen A63B71/14}) · CPC title

• G06F1/1652

  the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable · CPC title

• A44C5/0069

  extensible · CPC title

• G06F1/163 Primary

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