Contact-sensitive crown for an electronic watch

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018364815-A1
Application number	US-201715627321-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 19, 2017
Priority date	Jun 19, 2017
Publication date	Dec 20, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method of operating a wearable electronic device having a display and a rotatable crown includes initiating a rotation-tracking mode based on a detection of a contact between a user and the rotatable crown. In response to initiating the rotation-tracking mode, the electronic device controls a graphical output of the display in accordance with rotational movement or absence of rotational movement of the rotatable crown, terminates the rotation-tracking mode based on a termination of the contact between the user and the rotatable crown, and in response to terminating the rotation-tracking mode, controls the graphical output of the display without regard to rotational movement or absence of rotational movement of the rotatable crown.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A wearable electronic device, comprising:
a housing; a band attached to the housing and configured to attach the wearable electronic device to a user; a display positioned within the housing and defining a front face of the wearable electronic device; a crown positioned along a side of the housing; a rotation sensor configured to detect a rotational movement of the crown; a contact sensor configured to detect a contact between the user and the crown; and a processor operatively coupled to the contact sensor and the display and configured to:
while a contact is detected between the user and the crown, control a graphical output of the display in accordance with rotational movement of the crown; and
after detecting a release of the contact between the user and the crown, control the graphical output of the display without regard to rotational movement or absence of rotational movement of the crown.

2 . The wearable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein:
controlling the graphical output of the display in accordance with rotational movement of the crown comprises causing a list of items to scroll across the display in a scroll direction in accordance with a direction of rotation of the crown; and controlling the graphical output of the display without regard to rotational movement or absence of rotational movement of the crown comprises continuing to scroll the list of items across the display while detecting no rotation of the crown.

3 . The wearable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein:
controlling the graphical output of the display in accordance with rotational movement of the crown comprises causing a portion of a list of items to scroll off of the display in a first direction; and controlling the graphical output of the display without regard to rotational movement or absence of rotational movement of the crown comprises causing the portion of the list of items to scroll onto the display in a second direction opposite the first direction.

4 . The wearable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein:
the crown comprises:
a knob having a conductive portion; and
a stem conductively coupled to the conductive portion of the knob and extending into the housing; and
the contact sensor comprises a capacitive sensor conductively coupled to the stem.

5 . The wearable electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the stem is electrically isolated from the housing.

6 . The wearable electronic device of claim 5 , wherein the knob and the stem are a monolithic structure.

7 . The wearable electronic device of claim 5 , wherein the capacitive sensor is conductively coupled to the stem via a rotary electrical contact.

8 . A method of operating a wearable electronic device having a display and a rotatable crown, comprising:
modifying a graphical output of the display in accordance with a rotational movement of the rotatable crown; terminating a rotation-tracking mode based on a termination of a contact between a user and the rotatable crown; and in response to terminating the rotation-tracking mode, modifying the graphical output of the display despite absence of the rotational movement of the rotatable crown.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein:
modifying the graphical output of the display in accordance with the rotational movement of the rotatable crown comprises moving an element displayed on the display in a first direction based at least partially on the rotational movement of the rotatable crown; and modifying the graphical output of the display despite absence of the rotational movement of the rotatable crown comprises moving the element in a second direction opposite the first direction.

10 . The method of claim 8 , wherein:
modifying the graphical output of the display in accordance with the rotational movement of the rotatable crown comprises moving an element displayed on the display in a first direction and at a speed based at least partially on the rotational movement of the rotatable crown; and modifying the graphical output of the display despite absence of the rotational movement of the rotatable crown comprises moving the element in the first direction despite detecting no rotational movement of the rotatable crown.

11 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
after moving the graphical output of the display in the first direction despite detecting no rotational movement of the rotatable crown, detecting a subsequent contact between the user and the rotatable crown; and in response to detecting the subsequent contact between the user and the rotatable crown, ceasing to move the graphical output of the display.

12 . The method of claim 10 , wherein moving the graphical output of the display despite absence of the rotational movement of the rotatable crown further comprises moving the graphical output of the display at a speed that decreases over time.

13 . A method of operating a wearable electronic device having a display and a rotatable crown, comprising:
initiating a rotation-tracking mode based on a detection of a contact between a user and the rotatable crown; in response to initiating the rotation-tracking mode, controlling a graphical output of the display in accordance with rotational movement or absence of rotational movement of the rotatable crown; terminating the rotation-tracking mode based on a termination of the contact between the user and the rotatable crown; and in response to terminating the rotation-tracking mode, controlling the graphical output of the display without regard to rotational movement or absence of rotational movement of the rotatable crown.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein:
controlling the graphical output of the display in accordance with rotational movement or absence of rotational movement of the rotatable crown corresponds to controlling the graphical output of the display in accordance with a first user-interface control scheme; and controlling the graphical output of the display without regard to rotational movement or absence of rotational movement of the rotatable crown corresponds to controlling the graphical output of the display in accordance with a second user-interface control scheme.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein controlling the graphical output of the display in accordance with the first user-interface control scheme further comprises causing a list of items to scroll across the display in a scroll direction based on a rotation direction of the rotatable crown.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein controlling the graphical output of the display in accordance with the second user-interface control scheme further comprises causing the list of items to scroll across the display in the scroll direction.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein controlling the graphical output of the display in accordance with the second user-interface control scheme further comprises causing the list of items to scroll across the display at a decreasing speed.

18 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising, while the list of items is scrolling across the display:
initiating a subsequent rotation-tracking mode based on a detection of a subsequent contact between the user and the rotatable crown; during the subsequent rotation-tracking mode, determining if a speed of rotation of the rotatable crown is below a threshold value; and in accordance with a determination that the speed of rotation of the rotatable crown is below the threshold value, causing the list of items to cease scrolling across the display.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Moussette Camille
• Kerr Duncan
• Ely Colin M
• Morrell John B

Classifications

• G06F3/0485

  Scrolling or panning · CPC title

• G04C3/004

  Magnetically controlled · CPC title

• G06F1/163 Primary

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

• G06F3/0362 Primary

  with detection of one-dimensional [1D] translations or rotations of an operating part of the device, e.g. scroll wheels, sliders, knobs, rollers or belts · CPC title

• G04B3/04

  Rigidly-mounted keys, knobs or crowns {(jointed winding-stem G04B37/06)} · CPC title