In some examples, the apparatus comprises a mechanical input mechanism comprising a rotatable shaft, an optical sensor configured to detect a rotation of the shaft and detect a movement of the shaft toward or away from the optical sensor, and an optical sensor configured to detect light incident on the optical sensor, the light having a position and an orientation, the orientation of the light based on at least a position of the rotatable shaft, detect a rotation of the shaft, and detect a movement of the shaft based on at least a change in the orientation of the light. In some examples, a mechanical input mechanism is coupled to a housing and configured to contact a force sensor coupled to the housing in response to a user input. In some examples, the force sensor is configured to detect a position of the shaft and detect an amount of force between the shaft and the force sensor.

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.

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.

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.

An input mechanism for an electronic watch 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.

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 emits light to the structure, captures reflected light from the structure to sense/receive an image from the surface of the structure, detects 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.

A portable object including a control stem, actuation of which in rotation can control at least one electronic or mechanical function of the portable object, a magnetized ring driven in rotation by the control stem, rotation of the magnetized ring and position of the magnetized ring being detected by two inductive sensors configured to be sensitive to a variation in magnetic induction in only two directions in space that are parallel to each other or that converge on a same point, with exception of a case in which these two directions are perpendicular to each other.

An electronic device includes a case, a manipulation ring disposed on the case, a rotational unit, a waterproof member, and an optical tracking system (OTS) sensor. The case has a first chamber and a second chamber arranged outside the first chamber. The case has a thru-hole arranged between the first and second chambers. The rotational unit includes a shaft and a mating member arranged in the second chamber and connected to the shaft. The shaft has a first segment arranged in the first chamber and a second segment arranged in the thru-hole. The manipulation ring is spinable to rotate the mating member and the shaft. The waterproof member is configured to seal a gap between the second segment and an inner wall of the case defining the thru-hole. The OTS sensor is arranged in the first chamber and is corresponding in position to the first segment.

The detection module comprises 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 in order 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 also designed to undergo elastic deformation when the rod passes between the intermediate position and the end position so as to participate substantially in the restoring force of the rod toward the intermediate position when the axial activating force applied to the rod by a user is released.

A portable electronic device and a control method thereof are provided. The method is adapted to a portable electronic device including a rotatable element, a fixed element, a screen, a processor, a switch module with at least two protruding elements, and fixed points. The rotatable element is nearby the fixed element. The protruding elements and the fixed points are facing to each other and configured at one and the other of the rotatable element and the fixed element. The processor is coupled to the switch module and the screen. The method includes to display a default user interface corresponding to a default mode on the screen, to determine a corresponding mode according to all press states of each protruding element in the switch module by the processor when the rotatable element is rotated due to an external force applied thereto, and to display a corresponding user interface on the screen.