Capacitive touch or proximity detection for crown

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11036318-B2
Application number	US-201615275323-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 23, 2016
Priority date	Sep 30, 2015
Publication date	Jun 15, 2021
Grant date	Jun 15, 2021

Abstract

An electronic device is disclosed. In some examples, the electronic device comprises a rotatable mechanical input mechanism. In some examples, the electronic device comprises sense electrode positioned proximate to the mechanical input mechanism. In some examples, the electronic device comprises a capacitive sense circuit comprising drive circuity operatively coupled to the mechanical input mechanism and configured for driving a drive signal onto the mechanical input mechanism. In some examples, the electronic device comprises a capacitive sense circuit comprising sense circuitry operatively coupled to the sense electrode and configured to measure an amount of coupling between the rotatable mechanical input mechanism and the sense electrode. In some examples, the electronic device comprises a housing, wherein the sense electrode is included in a gasket for connecting a display to the housing.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wearable electronic device comprising:
a cover substrate forming an outer surface of the wearable electronic device;
a display disposed beneath the cover substrate;
a housing;
a mechanical input mechanism comprising a shaft and a crown, the mechanical input mechanism configured to be rotated;
a sense electrode positioned proximate to the mechanical input mechanism, wherein the sense electrode is disposed in a gasket connecting the display and cover substrate to the housing, wherein the shaft is separated from the gasket by the housing; and
a capacitive sense circuit comprising:
drive circuitry operatively coupled to a conductive portion of the mechanical input mechanism and configured to drive a drive signal onto the conductive portion of the mechanical input mechanism; and
sense circuitry operatively coupled to the sense electrode and configured to measure an amount of capacitive coupling in response to driving the drive signal onto the conductive portion of the mechanical input mechanism.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein:
the mechanical input mechanism comprises a plurality of conductive segments;
in a first rotational orientation of the mechanical input mechanism, the drive circuitry is coupled to a first conductive segment of the plurality of conductive segments via an internal electrical contact; and
in a second rotational orientation of the mechanical input mechanism, different from the first rotational orientation, the drive circuitry is coupled to a second conductive segment of the plurality of conductive segments, different from the first conductive segment, and decoupled from the first conductive segment, via the internal electrical contact.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein a change in the amount of capacitive coupling between the conductive portion of the mechanical input mechanism and the sense electrode is indicative of an object contacting or in proximity with the mechanical input mechanism.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , the gasket comprising a force sensor configured for detecting an intensity of contact between an object and the cover substrate.

5. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the force sensor and the sense electrode are disposed on different layers of the gasket.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a shear plate; and
a drive electrode, wherein the drive electrode is disposed between the shear plate and the mechanical input mechanism.

7. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the conductive portion of the mechanical input mechanism comprises a plurality of conductive pads disposed in the crown and a plurality of routing traces disposed in the shaft, a respective one of the plurality of routing traces corresponding to a respective one of the plurality of conductive pads.

8. The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein at least one of the plurality of routing traces is disposed internal to the shaft.

9. The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein at least one of the plurality of routing traces is disposed on an exterior surface of the shaft.

10. The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of routing traces are directly electrically connected.

11. A method comprising:
driving a conductive portion of a crown of a wearable device with a drive signal;
sensing, at a sense electrode proximate to the crown and disposed in a gasket connecting a cover substrate over a display to a housing, the gasket separated from a shaft coupled to the crown by the housing, an amount of capacitive coupling in response to driving the drive signal onto the conductive portion of the crown; and
detecting an object touching or in proximity to the crown based on the amount of capacitive coupling.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the amount of capacitive coupling comprises a mutual capacitance between the conductive portion of the crown and the sense electrode.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the conductive portion of the crown comprises a plurality of conductive pads, and wherein driving the conductive portion of the crown comprises:
in a first rotational orientation of the crown, driving a first of the plurality of conductive pads without driving a second of the plurality of conductive pads; and
in a second rotational orientation, different from the first rotational orientation, of the crown, driving the second of the plurality of conductive pads without driving the first of the plurality of conductive pads.

14. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, the computer readable storage medium including instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising:
driving a conductive portion of a crown of a wearable device with a drive signal;
sensing, at a sense electrode proximate to the crown and disposed in a gasket connecting a cover substrate over a display to a housing, the gasket separated from a shaft coupled to the crown by the housing, an amount of capacitive coupling in response to driving the drive signal onto the conductive portion of the crown; and
detecting an object touching or in proximity to the crown based on the amount of capacitive coupling.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 14 , wherein the amount of capacitive coupling comprises a mutual capacitance between the conductive portion of the crown and the sense electrode.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 14 , wherein the conductive portion of the crown comprises a plurality of conductive pads, and wherein driving the conductive portion of the crown comprises:
in a first rotational orientation of the crown, driving a first of the plurality of conductive pads without driving a second of the plurality of conductive pads; and
in a second rotational orientation, different from the first rotational orientation, of the crown, driving the second of the plurality of conductive pads without driving the first of the plurality of conductive pads.

17. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the gasket extends around an exterior edge portion of a bottom surface of the display and forms a seal to prevent outside air or a liquid from entering an interior cavity of the housing.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Bokma Louis W
• Holenarsipur Prashanth
• Kuboyama Yuta
• Huang Mengshu

Classifications

• G04C3/001

  Electromechanical switches for setting or display · CPC title

• G04C3/007

  Electromechanical contact-making and breaking devices acting as pulse generators for setting · CPC title

• G04G21/08

  Touch switches specially adapted for time-pieces · CPC title

• G06F2203/04105

  Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position · CPC title

• G06F3/0304

  Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means (constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042) · CPC title