A compact crown for an electronic device such as an electronic watch, including a set of wipers capable of determining a rotation angle, rotation direction, or rotation speed, is disclosed. The set of wipers is in contact with at least one resistance member at different angular positions around a rotation axis. The crown may have a group of ground taps disposed along the resistance member and a measured signal may vary based on the position of each wiper as it contacts the at least one resistance member. A compact crown may also include capacitive members and capacitive sensors in order to similarly determine rotation angle, rotation direction, or rotation speed.

An input mechanism, such as a crown, detects amounts of applied force. In various examples, an assembly including an input mechanism has an enclosure; a stem coupled to the enclosure such that the stem is rotatable, translatable, and transversely moveable with respect to the enclosure; a sensor, coupled between the stem and the housing, to which force is transferred when the stem moves with respect to the housing; and a processing unit coupled to the sensor. The processing unit is operable to determine a measurement of the force, based on a signal from the sensor.

The present invention relates to systems and methods for measuring misalignment between layers of a semiconductor device. In one embodiment, a method includes applying an input voltage to respective ones of one or more first electrodes associated with a first conductive layer of a semiconductor device; sensing an electrical property of one or more second electrodes associated with a second conductive layer of the semiconductor device in response to applying the input voltage to the respective ones of the one or more first electrodes; and calculating a misalignment between the first conductive layer of the semiconductor device and the second conductive layer of the semiconductor device in an in-plane direction as a function of the electrical property of the one or more second electrodes.

A rotation angle detection apparatus includes a movable pattern prepared on an outer peripheral side surface of a rotary shaft and having a shape that changes along a circumferential direction of the outer peripheral side surface; and a stationary pattern fixedly arranged around the rotary shaft so as to face the movable pattern. An overlapping state between the movable pattern and the stationary pattern changes by rotation of the rotary shaft. A physical quantity changing according to a change in the overlapping state between the movable pattern and the stationary pattern is detected, and a rotation angle of the rotary shaft is detected based on the physical quantity.

An input mechanism, such as a crown, detects amounts of applied force. In various examples, an assembly including an input mechanism has an enclosure; a stem coupled to the enclosure such that the stem is rotatable, translatable, and transversely moveable with respect to the enclosure; a sensor, coupled between the stem and the housing, to which force is transferred when the stem moves with respect to the housing; and a processing unit coupled to the sensor. The processing unit is operable to determine a measurement of the force, based on a signal from the sensor.

A system is disclosed, comprising a base and at least a first moveable entity, the first moveable entity being moveable with respect to the base and positionable in at least a first position with respect to the base. The base comprises a first base electrode and a second base electrode, and the moveable entity comprises a first moveable entity electrode and a second moveable entity electrode. The electrodes are arranged such that when the moveable entity is in the first position the first base electrode and the first moveable entity electrode align to form a first capacitor and the second base electrode and second moveable entity electrode align to form a second capacitor. The first moveable entity further comprises a first resistor connecting the first moveable entity electrode to the second moveable entity electrode, and the base further comprises: signal supply means arranged to supply a time-varying electrical signal to the first base electrode; and signal detection means arranged to detect an electrical signal from the second base electrode.

A compact crown for an electronic device such as an electronic watch, including a set of wipers capable of determining a rotation angle, rotation direction, or rotation speed, is disclosed. The set of wipers is in contact with at least one resistance member at different angular positions around a rotation axis. The crown may have a group of ground taps disposed along the resistance member and a measured signal may vary based on the position of each wiper as it contacts the at least one resistance member. A compact crown may also include capacitive members and capacitive sensors in order to similarly determine rotation angle, rotation direction, or rotation speed.

Embodiments relate to an optical trial frame that includes: left and right frames extending in the left and right directions respectively; a bridge located between and connected to the left and right frames such that the left and right frames can move relative to each other along a longitudinal axis of the bridge; left and right temples connected to the respective left and right frames; left and right lens holders rotatably coupled to the left and right frames respectively and configured to receive and retain lenses in use; and, capacitive sensing means configured to detect and measure at least one of: a lateral position of one of the frames; and, a rotational position of one of the lens holders.

Disclosed is a system and to a process for manufacturing a system including a network of sensors including a sheet of dielectric material that is elastically deformable under compressive and shear stress, each cell of the network including a first capacitive sensor for sensing normal pressure in a first direction, a second capacitive sensor for sensing shear stress in a second direction and a third capacitive sensor for sensing shear stress in a third direction. Each capacitive sensor includes a first electrode fixed to the first side of the sheet of dielectric material and a second electrode fixed to the second side of the sheet of dielectric material, the first electrodes of the capacitive sensors of a given cell being connected in series to a first electrically conductive track connecting a row of cells of the network of sensors.

A capacitive sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: an upper block; at least one first electrode fixed to the upper block; a lower block located below the upper block; a first support column for supporting at least one second electrode fixed to the lower block and the upper block such that at least a part thereof overlaps the first electrode; a second support column for supporting the lower block; and a plurality of elastic supports, which include an elastic deformation part connected to the first support column and the second support column and elastically deformed by an external force acting on the upper block and/or the lower block.