Apple
is reportedly working on increasing the benefits and capabilities of the
Apple Watch
's Digital Crown. The Cupertino-based tech giant has got a new patent approved which explains how the physical
rotation
can be either supplemented or replaced by sensors that can detect light or touch. Recently, the company submitted a patent application where it wants to entirely replace the
Digital Crown
with a touch-sensitive surface.
The latest patent suggests that Apple might also be investigating an alternative option. Apple Watches in the coming days are expected to retain a physical crown but may come with a light-sensitive surface on and around it.
How the updated Digital Crown may work on Apple Watch models
The new patent related to the Apple Watch which is named "Crown for An Electronic Watch” explains: “[A] crown extending from the side of the housing... [would] and defining an imaging surface. The crown may include a light-directing feature configured to direct, onto the image-sensing element, an image of an object in contact with the imaging surface.”
This means the
Digital Crowns
in the coming models may not feature the free rotation that is available in the existing ones. Instead, the digital crowns will be “rotationally constrained” so they can only rotate through one turn.
The patent explains: “For example, users may interact with a crown by rotating the crown or, in the case of a crown that is rotationally constrained, sliding a finger over a surface of the crown. In order to sense the motion of the user's finger, a crown as described herein may include a window on the part of the crown that the user touches when interacting with the crown.”
Apple wants the crown to act as if it is freely rotating and do so by registering the user's finger motion and speed. The crown is expected to do that by detecting skin, taking an image of the user’s finger, or detecting light variations.
If the watch takes images through the Digital Crown, then the patent says it's the difference between multiple frames that will be analysed. However, it won’t be like a Touch ID where the user's biometric data will be needed to determine whether rotation is allowed or not.
“In order to detect motion using the image (e.g., the stored image), the image sensor may analyse multiple frames to determine, for example, a speed and direction of one or more features in the image. The features that are analysed may include features of a user's skin (e.g., fingerprints, hair follicles), or any other optically detectable feature, texture, surface irregularity, image, or the like, of any object. In this way, the device may be responsive to skin (e.g., the skin of a user's finger or hand), a stylus, a gloved finger…” the company adds.
The patent also describes in detail how a Digital Crown could have a sensor that detects light and passes data to the rest of the Watch.
Apple explains: “The crown may include a light-transmissive member defining an angled surface configured to direct light from the imaging surface to the image-sensing element. The angled surface may have an angle configured to produce total internal reflection of the light. The wearable electronic device may further include a reflective material applied to the angled surface.”
By placing a finger on the rim of the physical Digital Crown, and rotating it, users may be able to change the light levels detected within the Apple Watch. However, this will depend on ambient light conditions if the Watch doesn’t produce light.
The patent notes: “The light-transmissive member may at least partially define a head of the crown and a shaft of the crown. The wearable electronic device may further include a light source at least partially within the housing and configured to illuminate the object.”
English (US) ·