G04C3/00

CAPACITIVE GAP SENSOR RING FOR AN INPUT DEVICE
20210181865 · 2021-06-17 ·

An input mechanism for a portable electronic device includes a rotational manipulation mechanism, such as a cap or shaft. The input mechanism also includes a sensor having first capacitive elements coupled to the manipulation mechanism, second capacitive elements, and a dielectric positioned between the first and second capacitive elements. Movement of the manipulation mechanism alters the positions of the first and second capacitive elements with respect to each other and is determinable based on capacitance changes resulting therefrom. In some implementations, the second capacitive elements may be part of an inner ring or partial ring nested at least partially within an outer ring or partial ring.

Control device equipped with a module for detecting the axial position of its rod, and timepiece comprising such a control device

A detector includes an elastic conductive blade having first and second ends and a central portion therebetween, with the blade being designed to be driven axially by a control rod to occupy three distinct positions between the pulled position and the end position of the rod: a pulled position, an end position, and an intermediate position. Two electrical contacts are designed to detect the end position and the pulled position of the rod, respectively. The blade is designed to pivot at its first end when the rod passes from the intermediate position to the pulled position, or vice versa. The blade is designed to undergo elastic deformation when the rod passes between the intermediate position and the end position so as to participate substantially in a restoring force of the rod toward the intermediate position when the axial activating force applied to the rod by a user is released.

POINTER DEVICE, ELECTRONIC WATCH, CONTROL METHOD FOR POINTER DEVICE, AND RECORDING MEDIUM

An electronic watch includes a pointer; a stepping motor including a coil and configured to drive the pointer; a driving circuit configured to drive the stepping motor; an A/D converter configured to detect electromotive force generated in the coil due to an impact; and a CPU configured to control driving of the driving circuit. The CPU determines a direction in which the pointer is likely to be shifted, based on the electromotive force detected by the A/D converter, determines whether the pointer is shifted due to the impact, and upon determining that the pointer is shifted, corrects a position of the pointer in accordance with the direction in which the pointer is likely to be shifted.

Wearable electronic device

The described technology relates to a wearable electronic device. The wearable electronic device may include a touch display, a rim surrounding the touch display, a rim touch sensor disposed on at least a portion of the rim, a band portion that allows the wearable electronic device to be worn on a user's wrist, and a control unit configured to receive a rim touch on the rim through the rim touch sensor and generate a control signal for controlling the wearable electronic device based on at least one of attributes of the rim touch.

Watch provided with a thermoelectric button

A device is provided, including a housing having a cavity that is open to an exterior of the housing; an electrical element positioned inside the housing; and an actuation system configured to actuate the element and including a thermoelectric module including first and second electrically insulating plates substantially parallel to one another and each bear electrically conductive terminal blocks, and semiconductive pillars that extend between the respective blocks of the first and second plates, the module housed inside the cavity such that the second plate is positioned against walls of the cavity and the first plate is accessible from outside the housing, and an electronic transmission circuit linking at least two of the blocks of the second plate to the element, and where the system extends beyond the exterior of the housing in a direction perpendicular to a plane aligned with a surface of the exterior of the housing.

Timepiece movement comprising a device for detecting an angular position of a wheel
10989565 · 2021-04-27 · ·

A timepiece movement including an analogue display, including a rotary indicator and a wheel secured in rotation to the rotary indicator, the wheel including a roller including a location element, a device for detecting at least one angular position of the location element, including a plate fixed relative to the roller, extending substantially parallel to the roller, and on which are arranged a first electrode, a second electrode and a common electrode positioned between the first electrode and the second electrode the electrodes being planar and being arranged in such a way that, in an angular position of the wheel, the location element is located above at least a portion of each electrode, the first electrode and the second electrode having the form of two segments of a ring centred on the intersection between the axis of the wheel and the plate.

Electronic apparatus having optical navigation circuit
10990195 · 2021-04-27 · ·

An electronic apparatus includes a structure and an optical navigation circuit. A first end of the structure is located inside the electronic apparatus and its second end corresponds to a user's control. The structure can be moved forward/backward in a specific direction and/or rotated in another direction. The optical navigation circuit captures reflection of a light emitting to the structure to detect displacement of the image along a specific axis of the structure, and determines the user's operating behavior as a specific operation according to a change of the sensed displacement of the image.

ELECTRONIC WATCH WITH A SOLAR CELL

A timepiece movement includes a photovoltaic cell which is attached to the upper surface of a support plate, preferably by adhesive bonding. On the other side of the cell, on its lower surface, the support plate is provided with a plurality of nuts. An electrical module including a flat surface is attached to the support plate with the nuts. The module is provided with several openings whose position and dimensions correspond to those of the nuts, so that the nuts pass through the openings, allowing the flat surface of the module to be placed in contact with the support plate. The module is secured to the support plate by screws, screwed into the nuts. The connection via the nuts secures the photovoltaic cell to the electrical module and ensures shock resistance, without requiring a lateral support.

COMPRESSIBLE SEAL FOR ROTATABLE AND TRANSLATABLE INPUT MECHANISMS
20210055696 · 2021-02-25 ·

An electronic device has a housing and a rotatable and translatable input mechanism. The housing has an aperture and the rotatable and translatable input mechanism has a shaft positioned at least partially within the aperture and a manipulation structure coupled to the shaft. The manipulation structure may be manipulated to rotationally and translationally move the shaft to provide rotational and translational input to the electronic device. A compressible seal is positioned in a gap between the housing and the rotatable and translatable input mechanism. The compressible seal may resist and/or prevent passage of contaminants into the aperture and/or obscure one or more internal components. The compressible seal may be configured to collapse or bend when the rotatable and translatable member translates.

WEARABLE SMART WATCH WITH A CONTROL-RING AND A USER FEEDBACK MECHANISIM
20210055697 · 2021-02-25 ·

This disclosure describes techniques that enable a wearable device or a smart watch to provide communicate a state of an application other than a user selection event through haptic feedback. More specifically, a control-ring subsystem is configured to detect a user interaction with a control-ring of a wearable device, determine a user selection event based on the user interaction, and in doing so, generate haptic feedback to communication the state of the application.