WEARABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE INCLUDING A FLEXIBLE INTERACTIVE DISPLAY
Particular embodiments described herein provide for an electronic device, which may be a wearable electronic device such as a bracelet, watch, wristband or armband that includes a circuit board coupled to a plurality of electronic components (which may include any type of components, elements, circuitry, etc.). One particular implementation of an electronic device may include a display portion that may include a flexible display configured to be manipulated in one or more directions; a touchscreen overlaying the display; and a pressure sensor array configured beneath the flexible display. The pressure sensor array may be configured to measure inputs for one or more manipulations made to at least one of the display portion and the flexible display.
This Application is related to co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, filed Dec. 27, 2013 entitled “Ruggedized Wearable Electronic Device for Wireless Communication,” Inventor(s) Aleksander Magi, which Application is considered incorporated by reference into the disclosure of this Application.
TECHNICAL FIELDEmbodiments described herein generally relate to a wearable electronic device including a flexible interactive display.
BACKGROUNDEnd users have more electronic device choices than ever before. A number of prominent technological trends are currently afoot (e.g., mobile electronic devices, smaller electronic devices, increased user connectivity, etc.), and these trends are changing the electronic device landscape. One of the technological trends currently afoot is electronic devices that can be worn by users, sometimes referred to as wearable electronic devices. Wearable electronic devices can be worn on a user's wrist, arm, ankle, etc. Although wearable electronic devices are quickly becoming a member of the technological ecosystem, interactions between device and user have yet to become streamlined. For example, wearable electronic devices are limited to the same types of physical interactions as mobile phones, laptops, etc. in which a user is limited to finger drags and taps on a static touchscreen in order to use and access features of the wearable electronic device. As a result, user experience with the wearable electronic device suffers in the same manner as with other electronic devices in that the user has limited dynamic interaction with the wearable electronic device. Hence there is a need to improve user experience with wearable electronic devices.
Embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation in the FIGURES of the accompanying drawings, in which like references indicate similar elements and in which:
The FIGURES of the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, as their dimensions can be varied considerably without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS OverviewExample embodiments described herein may provide for an electronic device, which may be a wearable electronic device such as an electronic bracelet, watch, wristband or armband that includes a circuit board coupled to a plurality of electronic components (which may include any type of components, elements, circuitry, etc.). One particular example implementation of an electronic device may include may include a display portion that may include a flexible display configured to be manipulated in one or more directions; a touchscreen overlaying the display; and a pressure sensor array configured beneath the flexible display. The pressure sensor array may be configured to measure inputs for one or more manipulations made to at least one of the display portion and the flexible display. Note, in at least one embodiment, the flexible display may be a flexible organic light emitting diode (OLED) display configured to be manipulated in one or more directions. Note that in at least one other embodiment, the electronic device may further include a strap portion, wherein the display portion may be secured to the strap portion.
In another example implementation, the wearable electronic device may include logic, at least a portion of which is partially implemented in hardware, the logic configured to receive, for one or more manipulations of a flexible display of the electronic device, input data for one or more inputs registered by at least one of: a touchscreen overlaying the flexible display and a pressure sensor array configured along a perimeter of the flexible display; associate the manipulations with operations for the electronic device, based, at least in part on the input data; and cause the operations to be performed for the electronic device. Note, that in at least one embodiment, the input data may include at least one of: pressure input data for pressure measurements registered by one or more pressure sensors of the pressure sensor array corresponding to one or more forces applied to the flexible display during the one or more manipulations; and touch input data includes touch input data for one or more touch inputs registered by one or more touch sensors of the touchscreen corresponding to one or more touches input to the touchscreen during the one or more manipulations. Note, that in at least one embodiment, the logic may include at least one processor and at least one memory.
Example EMBODIMENTSThe following detailed description sets forth example embodiments of apparatuses, methods, and systems relating to flexible display configurations for a wearable electronic device. Features such as structure(s), function(s), and/or characteristic(s), for example, are described with reference to one embodiment as a matter of convenience; various embodiments may be implemented with any suitable one or more of the described features.
Display portion 14 and display 18 may be made of flexible materials, which can allow display portion 14 and display 18 to be manipulated (e.g., bent, flexed, twisted, etc.) in one or more directions corresponding to one or more desired user manipulations. In one or more embodiments, display 18 is a screen that can be an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display screen, transparent OLED display screen or any other suitable flexible display screen system, which may allow a user to use (e.g., access, interact with, navigate, interface with, etc.) features and applications of wearable electronic device 10. In one or more embodiments, display 18 is a flexible display screen capable of being manipulated in one or more directions. In one or more embodiments, display 18 may also be a touchscreen display, which may include a flexible capacitive touchscreen layer overlaying the screen of display 18, may also be capable of being manipulated in concert with any manipulations made to display 18 and/or display portion 14. Although display portion 14 and display 18 are illustrated as a polygonal shape in
Pressure sensor array 22 may be configured along a about beneath display 18 and may measure force, which may be applied through one or more user manipulations of display portion 14 and/or display 18. In one or more embodiments, pressure sensor array 22 may be configured beneath display 18 between display 18 and other electronic components (e.g., one or more flexible circuit boards, etc.). In one or more embodiments, pressure sensor array 22 may be configured above display 18 between display 18 and a top overlaying edge of display portion 14 that may secure display 18 within display portion 14. In one or more embodiments, pressure sensor array 22 can be configured as an array of thin-film capacitive pressure sensors or an array of thin-film piezoelectric pressure sensors, although other pressure sensor types are certainly encompassed by alternative embodiments of the present disclosure. Note, the size, number and specific configuration of pressure sensor array 22, as shown in
In one or more embodiments, one or more pairs of resistive strain gauges can also be configured in wearable electronic device 10 to measure strains on display portion 14 for one or more manipulations. In some embodiments, strap portion 12 may include one or more pairs of resistive strain gauges, which can also be used to sense touch and/or bending manipulations made to display portion 14 and or display 18 for wearable electronic device 10. Thus, wearable electronic device 10 may provide for both resistive and capacitive forms of sensing different input modalities for different manipulations, including but not limited to, touch inputs and pressure inputs. Input data corresponding to different manipulations of wearable electronic device 10 (e.g., manipulations of display portion 14, display 18 and/or strap portion 12) can be associated with one or more operations for wearable electronic device 10.
In general terms, wearable electronic device 10 may provide a user with the ability to use (e.g., access, interact with, navigate, interface with, etc.) features and applications of wearable electronic device 10 through one or more manipulations (e.g., bending, twisting, pressing, pushing, pulling, etc.), which the user can make to display portion 14 and/or display 18 by applying forces to one or more sides of display portion 14 and/or applying force directly to display 18. Pressure sensor array 22 may measure forces applied thereto during the one or more manipulations. Additionally, touchscreen sensors for a touchscreen that may be configured overlaying display 18 may also register touch inputs for manipulations made directly to display 18. Additionally, in some embodiments, resistive strain gauges may be used in either display portion 14 and/or strap portion 12 to register inputs for one or more manipulations made to wearable electronic device 10.
For one or more manipulations, input control logic, which can be configured in wearable electronic device 10, may output input data that may include pressure input data for any pressure measurements from pressure sensor array 22, touch input data for any touch inputs registered by the touchscreen and/or any other input data registered by any other sensors (e.g., resistive, capacitive, etc.) that may configured in wearable electronic device 10. Wearable electronic device 10 can include detection logic, which may receive the input data and may associate the manipulations with one or more operations for the wearable electronic device 10. The system may include additional control logic (e.g., display control logic, application control logic, communication control logic, etc.) to perform the associated operations using the input data.
In various embodiments, the operations may include, but not be limited to, content related operations (e.g., zoom, rotate, scroll, select, copy, paste, etc.), communication related operations using wireless communication circuitry in wearable electronic device 10 (e.g., send messages, emails, etc.), mode related operations (e.g., switching between different modes or programs) or virtually any other operations for wearable electronic device 10. By providing a user with physical means to interact and use wearable electronic device 10, user experience and immersion with wearable electronic device 10 may be improved.
For purposes of illustrating certain example features of electronic devices the following foundational information may be viewed as a basis from which the present disclosure may be properly explained. Wearable electronic devices typically include a display, which may provide a user the ability to interact with features and/or applications of the device. These interactions, however, are limited to a touchscreen axis of use. Aside from various side buttons or keys that may be implemented on the device, a user can typically only interact with the device as well as content displayed on the device along a horizontal axis across the display surface. By limiting users to such one-dimensional forms of using and interacting with the device, user experience and immersion with the wearable electronic devices can suffer.
Particular embodiments described herein provide for a wearable electronic device such as an electronic bracelet, watch, wristband, armband, anklet, etc. that includes a circuit board coupled to a plurality of electronic components (which includes any type of components, elements, circuitry, etc.). In certain embodiments, the circuit board may be a flexible printed circuit board. In at least one example embodiment, the wearable electronic device can include a display portion having flexible display that can be manipulated through one or more user interactions with the display portion and/or the display. The wearable electronic device can include a pressure sensory array configured around a perimeter of the display, which may include a plurality of pressure sensors configured to measure inputs that may be registered for any manipulations that may be made to the display portion and/or the display. The wearable electronic device can further include a touchscreen, which may include a plurality of touch sensors configured to register touch inputs that may be applied to the touchscreen.
In at least one example embodiment, the circuit board of wearable electronic device 10 is a general circuit board that can hold various components of an internal electronic system of wearable electronic device 10. The components may include a central processing unit (CPU), a memory, etc. More specifically, the circuit board can provide the electrical connections by which the other components of the system can communicate.
In one or more embodiments, different manipulations made to wearable electronic device 10, for example, pulling the ends of display portion 14 up to bend display 18 down can cause different pressures to be applied to the pressure sensor array than say, for example, pushing/pinching the ends of display portion 14 together to bend display 18 upward. The pressure sensors of the pressure sensor array may register different pressure measurements for the different corresponding manipulation(s). The system may include detection logic, which may associate the different pressure measurements to different operations for wearable electronic device 10.
Further, other manipulations can be made directly to the touchscreen overlaying display 18, which may cause touch inputs to be registered by the touch sensors as well as pressure measurements to be registered by the pressure sensors of the pressure sensor array. The detection logic may further be configured to associate the pressure measurements in combination with touch inputs to different operations for wearable electronic device 10.
In one more embodiments, the system may include pressure control logic, which may generate digital pressure input data for pressure measurements registered by the pressure sensors of the pressure sensor array and/or touch input data for any touch inputs registered by the touchscreen. The system may further include touch control logic, which may generate digital touch input data for touch inputs registered by touch sensors of the touchscreen. The associating performed by the detection logic may be performed in combination with the generation of pressure input data and/or touch input data as it may be generated or may be performed separate from the generation.
Following the associations determined by the detection logic, the system may perform the associated operations using associated logic as may be configured therein to control content displayed on the display, to control system features for wearable electronic device 10, to control communication based operations and/or to control applications of wearable electronic device 10. The system may continue to process pressure input data generated by the pressure control logic and/or touch input data generated by touch control logic following the association, as the user may continue to manipulate display 18, may change manipulations, etc., all of which can be processed by the system (e.g., logic in the system) to update and/or change operations for wearable electronic device 10.
In one or more embodiments, associations of various manipulations to corresponding operations can be user configurable features for wearable electronic device 10. In one or more embodiments, associations can be pre-programmed for wearable electronic device 10. The operations that can be performed for wearable electronic device 10 by manipulating display portion 14 and display 18 are virtually limitless.
In one or more embodiments, the operations can include content based operations, which can, among other things, be used to scroll content across display in one or more directions; to zoom content in or out in one or more directions; to switch views between one or more open applications; to switch views between one or more open webpages; to rotate content in one or more directions; to select, copy, cut, paste, move or otherwise interact with content that may be displayed on the display. In one or more embodiments, content based operations can include navigating games, for example, running down a hallway in a game, looking around, jumping ducking, fighting, etc.
As noted above, display 18 may be an OLED display, which can display content as it is being bent, twisted, flexed, etc., thus, the content manipulation operations can be actively viewed on display 18 as it is being bent, twisted, flexed, etc. The viewing while manipulating aspect of wearable electronic device 10 may be exploited for any operation that can be performed using the device and may significantly enhance user immersion in interacting with wearable electronic device 10.
In one or more embodiments, the operations can include communication based operations using wireless communication circuitry in wearable electronic device 10, which, among other things, can be used to initiate sending messages from wearable electronic device 10; to send email; to place a call or any to perform any other operations related to communicating with other electronic devices using wearable electronic device 10.
In one or more embodiments, the operations can include more system based operations, which, among other things, can be used to open/run, close/terminate and/or switch between applications/functions that may be installed on wearable electronic device 10 according to certain manipulations. For example, bending wearable electronic device at its ends in one direction may be used to open an email application and bending it in the other direction may be used to open a messaging application; bending one side may open a calendar application; bending another side may open a web browser; bending another side may open or run a social media application installed on wearable electronic device 10, etc. Any manipulations can essentially be associated to opening or running any application that may be installed on wearable electronic device 10.
These examples are just a few of the many operations that can be performed by physically manipulating display portion 14 and display 18 of wearable electronic device 10. Virtually any other operations can be performed using similar means and methods as those described herein, and, thus, are clearly within the scope of the present disclosure. Moreover, the grouping of operations into content based, communication based and application based is provided merely to illustrate the multitude of operations that can be controlled using manipulations of display portion 14 and display 18.
Moreover, a same manipulation, say for example, pulling the sides of display portion 14 upward to bend display 18 downward, could be configured to perform different operations for each of multiple programs or applications that may be installed on wearable electronic device. For example, such a manipulation may be configured to be associated with zoom-in operations for mapping applications, but may also be configured to be associated with moving forward in a game environment for gaming applications. Thus, the manipulations and associations can also be tied to an application context, which can cause additional logic in the system to perform different operations based on different applications that a user may be accessing/using when the manipulations may be performed. From these examples, it should be understood that the operations can be configured in any manner to allow a user to interact with applications and features of wearable electronic device 10.
In use, a user may physically manipulate/interact display portion 14 through one or more physical bends, twists, pinches, pulls, etc. of display portion 14, which, in turn, may cause manipulations of display 18. The physical manipulations may be performed by the user to initiate/control various operations wearable electronic device 10. The different manipulations can cause different pressure measurements to be registered by pressure sensors of pressure sensor array 22 (e.g., to generate pressure input data) and/or touch input to be registered by touch sensors of the touchscreen (e.g., to generate touch input data). Detection logic may associate the different pressure measurements and/or touch inputs to different operations for wearable electronic device 10 and the system (e.g., one or more processors, etc.) may cause the operations to be performed for wearable electronic device 10.
In certain embodiments, the system may continue to process the pressure input data and/or touch input data following the association using additional logic contained therein in order to continue performing the associated operations and/or change the associated operations. This may occur, generally, when the manipulations may be content based to update content displayed on display 18 of wearable electronic device 10.
Although illustrated as a wearable electronic device having a flexible display, particular embodiments described herein regarding operation of a flexible display screen system, can be extended to any suitable electronic device having a flexible display such as a mobile device, a tablet computer and/or a tablet device (e.g., i-Pad™), phablet (e.g., phone-tablet hybrid), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smartphone, an audio system, a movie player of any type, etc.
In one or more embodiments, strap portion 12, may be of a continuous design (e.g., having a set length) or may be of a latched design (e.g., having adjustable length, as shown in
In one or more embodiments, strap portion 12 may be covered by a covering, which can be made of natural fabrics, synthetic fabrics, fibers and blends thereof (e.g., cotton, polyester, nylon, satin, silk, wool, leather, etc.), polymers, plastics, neoprene, rubbers, elastics, elastomers, silicone, polycarbonates, vinyl, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyethylene combinations thereof or the like. In various embodiments, strap portion 12 may range in length from approximately 5 inches (127 mm) to approximately 10 inches (254 mm) and may range in width from approximately 8 mm to 40 mm.
In more general terms, strap portion 12 can be constructed having varying overall lengths, latched designs, non-latched designs, coverings, no coverings, etc. to accommodate securing wearable electronic device 10 to a variety of different users, which may have a range of different body proportions, etc. and/or a variety of different user body parts (e.g., wrists, arms, ankles etc.) which may have a range of different corresponding sizes. Further, the construction of strap portion 12 can be varied for use in different environments, wet, dry, cold, hot, etc. The ornamental design and material construction of strap portion 12 can be adjusted in any manner to suit any designer, manufacturer and/or vendor without departing from the scope of the embodiments described in the present disclosure. The ornamental design and material construction of strap portion 12 can be adjusted in any manner to suit any designer, manufacturer and/or vendor without departing from the scope of the embodiments described in the present disclosure.
In one or more embodiments, display portion 14 may be made of one or more materials including plastics, rubbers, polymers, neoprene, polycarbonate, silicone, polycarbonates, vinyl, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyethylene, combinations thereof or the like. Display portion 14 may be configured to have semi-rigid properties in order provide support for display 18, and other electronics, electrical components (e.g., processors, memory, controllers, circuitry, interconnects, etc.) within display portion 14 for one or more bending, twisting and/or flexing actions that may be imposed upon display portion 14 (and electronics/electrical components therein) during use of wearable electronic device 10. In one or more embodiments, for polygonal shapes (as opposed to elliptical shapes), display portion 14 may have an overall length, which may range from approximately one-tenth to approximately nine-tenths of the overall length of strap portion 12 and may have an overall width, which may range from approximately one-third of an overall width of strap portion 12 to an overall width of approximately equal to an overall width of strap portion 12. In one or more embodiments, for elliptical and/or circular shapes, the display portion may range in diameter from approximately 20 mm to approximately 70 mm.
In one or more embodiments, latch portion 16 can include a latching mechanism can include buckle-type latches, pressure-type latches, hook-type latches, clasp-type latches, magnetic-type latches, ties, Velcro™ type latches, pin-type latches, combinations thereof or the like.
In one or more embodiments, electronics and/or electronic components (e.g., processors, batteries, controllers, memory, circuitry, interconnects, etc.) for wearable electronic device 10 may reside in display portion 14 and/or strap portion 12. In one or more embodiments, wearable electronic device 10 may be configured to operate using a replaceable battery, or in some cases, may be configured to operate using a rechargeable battery, each of which may be housed in display portion 14.
In one or more embodiments, display portion 14 can include a port 40 to facilitate charging a battery or capacitor, communication and/or control of the wearable electronic device 10. In one or more embodiments, port 40 may be configured anywhere on display portion 14. For example, electrical current and signals can be passed through a plug-in connector (e.g., whose male side protrusion connects to port 40 and whose female side connects to a power device or another electronic device or vice-versa) or a wireless connector (e.g., WiFi, Bluetooth™, etc.) to recharge an on-board battery or capacitor and/or provide a communication path to electronics in wearable electronic device 10. Note that any number of connectors (e.g., Universal Serial Bus (USB) connectors (e.g., in compliance with the USB 3.0 Specification released in November 2008), Thunderbolt™ connectors, a non-standard connection point such as a docking connector, etc.) can be provisioned in conjunction with electronic device 10. [Thunderbolt™ and the Thunderbolt logo are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries.]. Virtually any other electrical connection means and methods could be used and, thus, are clearly within the scope of the present disclosure.
In some embodiments, wearable electronic device may include charging contacts configured on display portion 14 (or strap portion 12, which may include interconnect circuitry), which can be used in combination with a charging device to facilitate charging a rechargeable battery within wearable electronic device 10. Virtually any means may be used to provide power and/or charging for wearable electronic device 10, and, thus, are clearly within the scope of the present disclosure.
In one or more embodiments, wearable electronic device 10 can include wireless communication circuitry (e.g., Wi-Fi module, Bluetooth™ module, near field communication (NFC) module, or other wireless communication circuitry) to allow wearable electronic device 10 to communicate with one or more other electronic devices (wearable or not wearable) or a network through a wireless connection. The wireless connection may be any 3G/4G/LTE cellular wireless connection, WiFi/WiMAX connection, Bluetooth™ connection, or some other similar wireless connection. In an embodiment, a plurality of antennas can be provisioned in conjunction with wearable electronic device 10, which may be associated with wireless connection activities. The antennas are reflective of electrical components that can convert electric currents into radio waves or radio signals. In one or more embodiments, wearable electronic device 10 may contain a camera, a microphone, and/or a speaker.
Any processors (inclusive of digital signal processors, microprocessors, supporting platform hardware, etc.), memory elements, etc. can be suitably coupled to the circuit board of the system based on particular configuration need, processing demands, electronic device designs, etc. Note that particular embodiments of the present disclosure may readily include a system on chip (SOC) central processing unit (CPU) package. An SOC represents an integrated circuit (IC) that integrates components of a computer or other electronic system into a single chip. The chip may contain digital, analog, mixed-signal, and often radio frequency functions: all of which may be provided on a single chip substrate.
Note also that particular embodiments of the present disclosure may include logic that can be implemented in a variety of manners. For example, logic can be implemented in software, which may mean that a processor may be instructed to associate certain input data for certain manipulations with various operations and to perform the operations. In another example, logic can be implemented in firmware that a separate device may utilize. In yet another example, logic can be implemented as a standalone hardware chip controller.
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When the user pulls the ends of display portion 14 up, pressure sensors of pressure sensor array 22 may register pressure measurements for the corresponding manipulation(s). In the present example, detection logic in the system may associate the pressure measurements for the manipulations with zoom-in operations and the system may, in turn, perform the zoom-in operations using additional logic configured therein to zoom-in on content 36 shown on display 18 as the user bends display 18 downward.
In one or more embodiments, the rate of the zoom-in operations can be adjusted in real-time corresponding to the force applied to pulling the ends upward. Recall, the system may, in certain embodiments, continue to process pressure input data generated by pressure control logic for content based operations following the association by the detection logic. If the user squeezes display portion 14 with more force, pressure measurements registered by pressure sensors in pressure sensor array 22 may correspondingly, indicate an increase in pressure, which the system can use to increase the zoom-in rate. Conversely, the user may squeeze display portion 14 with less force to decrease the zoom-in rate. In various embodiments described herein, the rate of any content based operation may be affected by applying more force (e.g., to speed up a rate) or less force (e.g., to slow down a rate).
As strap portion 12 may also be manipulated based on the bending of display portion 14, in some embodiments, the input data may include data corresponding to measurements registered by sensors that can be included in strap portion 12. Input data from sensors in strap portion 12 may further be used to associate the manipulations with the zoom-in operations. As discussed herein, any manipulations that can be made to display portion 14 and/or display 18 can be also registered by sensors (e.g., resistive or capacitive) that may be included in strap portion 12. Further, in some embodiments, manipulations may be made to strap portion 12 itself without making manipulations to display portion 14 and or display 18. In such embodiments, input data for such manipulations can be associated with other operations for wearable electronic device 10.
When the user pushes the ends of display portion 14 inward, pressure sensors of pressure sensor array 22 may register pressure measurements for the corresponding manipulation(s). In the present example, detection logic in the system may associate the pressure measurements for the manipulations with zoom-out operations and the system may, in turn, perform the zoom-out operations using additional logic configured therein to zoom-out from content 36 shown on display 18 as the user bends display 18 downward. Similar to zoom-in operations, in one or more embodiments, the rate of a zoom-out can be increased by pinching ends of display portion 14 with more force or decreased by pinching ends of display portion 14 with less force.
Turning to
As noted, in various embodiments, the detection logic can associate pressure input data for pressure measurements registered by pressure sensors of pressure sensor array 22 as well as touch input data for touch inputs registered by touch sensors of a touchscreen, which may overlay display 18. As shown in
Note, the location of touch inputs as related to a direction of content scrolling can be configured for the system or may be learned by the system in various embodiments. In one or more embodiments, a coordinate layout for display 18 can be configured such that touch input locations, when processed in combination with pressure input data, can be measured in relation to a nearest side of display 18 at which the touch input may be received to determine a scrolling direction. This is only one example of a configuration that could be used by detection logic to associate touch input locations in combination with pressure measurements with directions for content scrolling operations. Virtually any other means and methods could be used, and, thus, are clearly within the scope of the present disclosure.
When the user pushes on the right side of display 18, pressure sensors of pressure sensor array 22 may register pressure measurements for the corresponding manipulation(s) and touch sensors of the touchscreen may register the touch inputs for the corresponding touch(es). In the present example, detection logic in the system may associate the pressure measurements and the touch inputs for the manipulations with scroll-right operations and the system may, in turn, perform the scroll-right operations using additional logic configured therein to scroll content 36 shown on display 18 to the right. As noted above, display 18 may display content as it is being manipulated. As shown in
Similar to the discussion above, in one or more embodiments, a scroll rate can be adjusted corresponding to the force applied to display 18. For example, if the user presses on display 18 with more force, pressure measurements registered by pressure sensors in pressure sensor array 22 may correspondingly, indicate an increase in pressure, which the system can use to increase the scroll rate (e.g., right, left, up, down). Conversely, the user may press display 18 with less force to decrease the scroll rate. Additionally, in one or more embodiments, a location of touch inputs can be used to adjust a scroll rate in combination with force of inputs. For example, a scroll rate may be increased as a user moves their finger closer to a side of display 18 or decreased as the user moves their finger further away from the side. In one or more embodiments, such actions can also be used to change a direction of scrolling, for example, the system may slow the rate of scrolling as the user's finger moves further away from the side and then may switch directions of the scroll as the user crosses a certain location threshold, which may indicate a scroll in an opposite direction. Thus, it should be clear that touch inputs can be used in combination with pressure inputs on display 18 to manipulate operations for wearable electronic device 10.
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When the user squeezes and twists the opposing corners of display portion 14, pressure sensors of pressure sensor array 22 may register pressure measurements for the corresponding manipulation(s). In the present example, detection logic in the system may associate the pressure measurements for the manipulations with right-to-left content rotation operations and the system may, in turn, perform the operations using additional logic configured therein to rotate content 36 shown on display 18 from right-to-left as the user bends display 18 squeezes and twists display portion 14.
In one or more embodiments, similar operations may be performed using the other opposing corners of display portion 14 to rotate content from right-to-left or could be performed by pulling the same corners up as shown in
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The wireless connection may be any 3G/4G/LTE cellular wireless, WiFi/WiMAX connection, Bluetooth™ or some other similar wireless connection. In an embodiment, the wireless connection may be a wireless personal area network (WPAN) to interconnect wearable electronic device 10 to network 50 and electronic device 54 within a relatively small area (e.g., Bluetooth™, invisible infrared light, Wi-Fi, etc.). In another embodiment, the wireless connection may be a wireless local area network (WLAN) that links wearable electronic device 10 to network 50 and electronic device 54 over a relatively short distance using a wireless distribution method, usually providing a connection through an access point for Internet access. The use of spread-spectrum or OFDM technologies may allow wearable electronic device 10 to move around within a local coverage area, and still remain connected network 50 and electronic device 54. In another embodiment, the wireless connection may be a 3G/4G/LTE cellular wireless connection, which may allow wearable electronic device 10 (e.g., wearable electronic device 10 may be configured to include a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card for connection to a service provider network) to communicate with electronic device 54 over long distances using network 50, which may be a service provider network.
Network 50 may be a series of points or nodes of interconnected communication paths for receiving and transmitting packets of information that propagate through network 50. Network 50 offers a communicative interface and may be any local area network (LAN), wireless local area network (WLAN), metropolitan area network (MAN), Intranet, Extranet, WAN, virtual private network (VPN), cellular network or any other appropriate architecture or system that facilitates communications in a network environment. Network 50 can comprise any number of hardware or software elements coupled to (and in communication with) each other through a communications medium. Electronic device 54 may be a computer (e.g., notebook computer, laptop, tablet computer or device), a phablet, a cellphone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smartphone, a movie player of any type, router, access point, another wearable electronic device or other device that includes a circuit board coupled to a plurality of electronic components (which includes any type of components, elements, circuitry, etc.).
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When the user pulls the sides of display portion 14 upward, pressure sensors of pressure sensor array 22 may register pressure measurements for the corresponding manipulation(s). In the present example, detection logic in the system may associate the pressure measurements for the manipulations with operations for sending messages. The system may, in turn, perform the operations using additional logic configured therein to send a message 46 shown on display 18 from wearable electronic device 10 to another electronic device over a network using wireless communication circuitry. In one or more embodiments, wearable electronic device may be configured with messaging applications similar to many other applications that can be configured for mobile phones, phablets, tablets, etc.
In one or more embodiments, wearable electronic device 10 may be configured to send messages over a WPAN (e.g., Bluetooth™, invisible infrared light, Wi-Fi, etc.) to another electronic device (e.g., mobile phone, laptop, tablet, etc.) to which wearable electronic device may be connected through an appropriate wireless connection. In one or more embodiments, message 46, once communicated to the other electronic device can then be sent to other electronic devices over other networks. In one or more embodiments, wearable electronic device 10 may be configured to connect to a 3G/4G/LTE cellular wireless network. In such embodiments, wearable electronic device 10 may be capable of sending messages over the service provider network to other electronic devices.
Turning to
When the user pushes the lower end of wearable electronic device 10 inward, pressure sensors of pressure sensor array 22 may register pressure measurements for the corresponding manipulation(s). In the present example, detection logic in the system may associate the pressure measurements for the manipulations with operations for opening a social media application that may be installed on wearable electronic device. The system may, in turn, perform the operations using additional logic configured therein to open the social media application (e.g., social media application 56), which may be displayed on display 18.
For each of the manipulations described above in
Again, the multitude of operations that different manipulations of display portion 14 and/or display 18 may be associated to for wearable electronic device 10 cannot be overstated. Almost any operation may be tied to one or more manipulations. In one or more embodiments, an entire user interface for wearable electronic device could be configured to be operated using manipulations of display 18 and display portion 14. Moreover, the flexible display system could easily be adapted to any electronic device that may include a flexible display, such as, for example, mobile phones, phablets, tablets, notebook computers, netbook computers. As configured for such other electronic devices, the number of manipulations and associations that could be configured could be extended even further, as two handed manipulations may be possible.
Turning to
As illustrated in
Turning to
At 930, the system may associate the manipulations with operations for the wearable electronic device. The association may made be based on the input data and the context in one or more embodiments. At 940, the system may cause the operations to be performed for the wearable electronic device.
In an embodiment, the system may check for additional input data at 950. In various embodiments, an operation, say for example a content based operation, may have a default operation associated thereto (e.g., zoom-in, zoom-out, scroll-right, scroll-left, etc.), which may be adjusted based on additional input data. For example a zoom-in rate may be increased or decreased corresponding to pressure measurements corresponding to, respectively, increased or decreased pressure registered by one or more pressure sensors of the pressure sensor array. In another example zoom direction may be changed by changing a manipulation. In another example, scroll rate may be increased or decreased base on pressure measurements registered by one or more pressure sensors and/or touch inputs registered by one or more touch sensors of the touchscreen. Thus, in various embodiments, additional input data may continue to be processed by the system to determine additional operations or operation updates. If there is not additional input data, the flow may terminate following execution of the associated operations for the system. For example, a communication based operations or certain system based operations may be ‘one-off’ operations wherein a manipulation may be associated with performing a single operation or set of operations (e.g., send a message, switch applications, etc.).
If there is additional input data, the system may determine if there has been a manipulation change at 960. For example, the system may determine if the flexible display has been manipulated from zooming in on content to zooming out from content. In another example, the system may determine if the manipulations have changed from zooming manipulations to scrolling manipulations. If there has been a manipulation change, the system may again determine the context of the manipulations (return to 920), and the flow may continue again from 920.
If there has not been a manipulation change, the system may update the associated operations using the additional input data at 970. In various embodiments, the system may continue to cycle through this flow until no further input data is received. In this manner, the system may continue to operate so long as manipulations may be made to the flexible display. Thus, the system may provide for seamless interaction with the wearable electronic device, system operations, applications contained therein, etc., which may enhance user experience and immersion with the device.
Turning to
In this example of
ARM ecosystem SOC 1000 may also include a subscriber identity module (SIM) I/F 1030, a boot read-only memory (ROM) 1035, a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM) controller 1040, a flash controller 1045, a serial peripheral interface (SPI) master 1050, a suitable power control 1055, a dynamic RAM (DRAM) 1060, and flash 1065. In addition, one or more example embodiments can include one or more communication capabilities, interfaces, and features such as instances of Bluetooth™ 1070, a 3G/4G modem 1075, a global positioning system (GPS) 1080, an 802.11 WiFi 1085.
In operation, the example of
Turning to
Hence, the basic building blocks of any wearable electronic device system (e.g., processor, controller, memory, I/O, display, etc.) can be used in conjunction with the teachings of the present disclosure. Certain components could be discrete or integrated into a System on Chip (SoC). Some general system implementations can include certain types of form factors in which system 1100 is part of a more generalized enclosure. In alternate implementations, instead of wearable electronic devices, certain alternate embodiments deal with mobile phones, tablet devices, etc.
System control logic 1108, in at least one embodiment, can include any suitable interface controllers to provide for any suitable interface to at least one processor 1106 and/or to any suitable device or component in communication with system control logic 1108. System control logic 1108, in at least one embodiment, can include one or more memory controllers to provide an interface to system memory 1110. System memory 1110 may be used to load and store data and/or instructions, for example, for system 1100. System memory 1110, in at least one embodiment, can include any suitable volatile memory, such as suitable dynamic random access memory (DRAM) for example. System memory 1110 may store suitable software 1122 and/or non-volatile memory and/or storage device(s). System control logic 1108, in at least one embodiment, can include one or more I/O controllers to provide an interface to touch input controller 1102, pressure input controller 1104, display device 1118, power management controller 1114, communication interfaces 1120 and non-volatile memory and/or storage device(s) 1112.
Non-volatile memory and/or storage device(s) 1112 may be used to store data and/or instructions, for example within software 1124. Non-volatile memory and/or storage device(s) 1112 may include any suitable non-volatile memory, such as flash memory for example, and/or may include any suitable non-volatile storage device(s), such as one or more hard disc drives (HDDs), solid state drives (SSDs), etc., for example.
Power management controller 1114 may include power management logic 1126 configured to control various power management and/or power saving functions. In at least one example embodiment, power management controller 1114 is configured to reduce the power consumption of components or devices of system 1100 that may either be operated at reduced power or turned off when the wearable electronic device is in an inactive state (e.g., not being accessed, etc.). For example, in at least one embodiment, when the wearable electronic device is in an inactive state, power management controller 1114 may perform one or more of the following: power down the unused portion of touchscreen device 1140; power down unused portions of pressure input device 1160; allow one or more of processor(s) 1106 to go to a lower power state if less computing power is required during times of inactivity; and/or shutdown any devices and/or components that may be unused when a wearable electronic device is in an inactive state. System control logic 1108, in at least one embodiment, can include one or more I/O controllers to provide an interface to any suitable input/output device(s), for example, an audio device to help convert sound into corresponding digital signals and/or to help convert digital signals into corresponding sound, a camera and/or a video recorder.
For at least one embodiment, at least one processor 1106 may be packaged together with logic for one or more controllers of system control logic 1108. In at least one embodiment, at least one processor 1106 may be packaged together with logic for one or more controllers of system control logic 1108 to form a System in Package (SiP). In at least one embodiment, at least one processor 1106 may be integrated on the same die with logic for one or more controllers of system control logic 1108. For at least one embodiment, at least one processor 1106 may be integrated on the same die with logic for one or more controllers of system control logic 1108 to form a System on Chip (SoC).
For touch control, touch input controller 1102 may include touch sensor interface circuitry 1154 and touch control logic 1156. Touch sensor interface circuitry 1154 may be coupled to one or more touch sensor(s) 1150 to detect touch input(s) over a first touch surface layer and a second touch surface layer of a display (e.g., at least one display device 1118). Touch sensor interface circuitry 1154 may include any suitable circuitry that may depend, for example, at least in part on the touch-sensitive technology used for touchscreen device 1140. Touch sensor interface circuitry 1154, in one embodiment, may support any suitable multi-touch technology. Touch sensor interface circuitry 1154, in at least one embodiment, can include any suitable circuitry to convert analog signals corresponding to a first touch surface layer and a second surface layer into any suitable digital touch input data. Suitable digital touch input data for at least one embodiment may include, for example, touch location or coordinate data.
Further, touch control logic 1156 may be coupled to touch sensor interface circuitry 1154 to help control touch sensor interface circuitry 1154 in any suitable manner to detect touch input over a first touch surface layer and a second touch surface layer. Touch control logic 1156 for at least one example embodiment may also be coupled to system control logic 1108 to output in any suitable manner digital touch input data corresponding to one or more touch inputs detected by touch sensor interface circuitry 1154. Touch control logic 1156 may be implemented using any suitable logic, including any suitable hardware, firmware, and/or software logic (e.g., non-transitory tangible media), that may depend, for example, at least in part on the circuitry used for touch sensor interface circuitry 1154. For touch input control, touch control logic 1156 for at least one embodiment may support any suitable multi-touch technology.
Touch control logic 1156 may be coupled to system control logic 1108 to output digital touch input data to system control logic 1108 and/or at least one processor 1106 for processing. At least one processor 1106 for at least one embodiment may execute any suitable software to process digital touch input data output from touch control logic 1156. Suitable software may include, for example, any suitable driver software and/or any suitable application software.
For pressure control (e.g., control of wearable electronic devices 10 and/or 60) through manipulations of display 18 and/or 68, respectively), pressure input controller 1104 may include pressure sensor interface circuitry 1174 and pressure control logic 1176. Pressure sensor interface circuitry 1174 may be coupled to one or more pressure sensor(s) 1170 to measure pressure applied to a display (e.g., at least one display device 1118) through one or more made to the display manipulations (which can be made using a display portion containing the display). Pressure sensor interface circuitry 1174 may include any suitable circuitry that may depend, for example, at least in part on the pressure measurement technology used for pressure input device 1160 (e.g., pressure sensor array). For example, capacitive pressure measurement technology or piezoelectric pressure measurement technology. Pressure sensor interface circuitry 1174, in one embodiment, may support any suitable pressure measurement technology for an array of pressure sensors in any configuration of the array to measure forces that may be applied to display device 1118. Pressure sensor interface circuitry 1174, in at least one embodiment, can include any suitable circuitry to convert analog signals corresponding to a first capacitive layer and a second capacitive layer of a capacitive pressure sensor into any suitable digital pressure input data. Suitable digital pressure input data for at least one embodiment may include, for example, pressure measurements for one or more pressure sensor(s) 1170 of the pressure input device 1160 corresponding to one or more forces that may be applied to display device 1118.
Further, pressure control logic 1176 may be coupled to pressure sensor interface circuitry 1174 to help control pressure sensor interface circuitry 1174 in any suitable manner to measure pressure changes for forces applied to display device 1118. Pressure control logic 1176 for at least one example embodiment may also be coupled to system control logic 1108 to output in any suitable manner digital pressure input data corresponding to one or more pressures measured by pressure sensor interface circuitry 1174. Pressure control logic 1176 may be implemented using any suitable logic, including any suitable hardware, firmware, and/or software logic (e.g., non-transitory tangible media), that may depend, for example, at least in part on the circuitry used for pressure sensor interface circuitry 1174. For pressure input control, pressure control logic 1176 for at least one embodiment may support any suitable pressure sensor array pressure measurement technology.
Pressure control logic 1176 may be coupled to system control logic 1108 to output digital pressure input data to system control logic 1108 and/or at least one processor 1106 for processing. At least one processor 1106 for at least one embodiment may execute any suitable software to process digital pressure input data output from pressure control logic 1176. Suitable software may include, for example, any suitable driver software and/or any suitable application software.
Note that in some example implementations, the functions outlined herein may be implemented in conjunction with logic that is encoded in one or more tangible, non-transitory media (e.g., embedded logic provided in an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), in digital signal processor (DSP) instructions, software [potentially inclusive of object code and source code] to be executed by a processor, or other similar machine, etc.). In some of these instances, memory elements can store data used for the operations described herein. This can include the memory elements being able to store software, logic, code, or processor instructions that are executed to carry out the activities described herein. A processor can execute any type of instructions associated with the data to achieve the operations detailed herein. In one example, the processors could transform an element or an article (e.g., data) from one state or thing to another state or thing. In another example, the activities outlined herein may be implemented with fixed logic or programmable logic (e.g., software/computer instructions executed by a processor) and the elements identified herein could be some type of a programmable processor, programmable digital logic (e.g., a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a DSP, an erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM)) or an ASIC that can include digital logic, software, code, electronic instructions, or any suitable combination thereof.
It is imperative to note that all of the specifications, dimensions, and relationships outlined herein (e.g., width, length, materials, etc.) have only been offered for purposes of example and teaching only. Each of these data may be varied considerably without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure, or the scope of the appended claims. The specifications apply only to one non-limiting example and, accordingly, they should be construed as such. In the foregoing description, example embodiments have been described. Various modifications and changes may be made to such embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. The description and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.
Numerous other changes, substitutions, variations, alterations, and modifications may be ascertained to one skilled in the art and it is intended that the present disclosure encompass all such changes, substitutions, variations, alterations, and modifications as falling within the scope of the appended claims. In order to assist the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and, additionally, any readers of any patent issued on this application in interpreting the claims appended hereto, Applicant wishes to note that the Applicant: (a) does not intend any of the appended claims to invoke paragraph six (6) of 35 U.S.C. section 112 as it exists on the date of the filing hereof unless the words “means for” or “step for” are specifically used in the particular claims; and (b) does not intend, by any statement in the specification, to limit this disclosure in any way that is not otherwise reflected in the appended claims.
Example EMBODIMENT IMPLEMENTATIONSExample embodiments described herein may provide for an electronic device, which may be a wearable electronic device such as an electronic bracelet, watch, wristband or armband that includes a circuit board coupled to a plurality of electronic components (which may include any type of components, elements, circuitry, etc.). One particular example implementation of an electronic device may include may include a display portion that may include a flexible display configured to be manipulated in one or more directions; a touchscreen overlaying the display; and a pressure sensor array configured beneath the flexible display. The pressure sensor array may be configured to measure inputs for one or more manipulations made to at least one of the display portion and the flexible display. Note, in at least one embodiment, the flexible display may be a flexible organic light emitting diode (OLED) display configured to be manipulated in one or more directions. Note that in at least one other embodiment, the electronic device may further include a strap portion, wherein the display portion may be secured to the strap portion.
In another example implementation, the wearable electronic device may include logic, at least a portion of which is partially implemented in hardware, the logic configured to receive, for one or more manipulations of a flexible display of the electronic device, input data for one or more inputs registered by at least one of: a touchscreen overlaying the flexible display and a pressure sensor array configured along a perimeter of the flexible display; associate the manipulations with operations for the electronic device, based, at least in part on the input data; and cause the operations to be performed for the electronic device. Note, that in at least one embodiment, the input data may include at least one of: pressure input data for pressure measurements registered by one or more pressure sensors of the pressure sensor array corresponding to one or more forces applied to the flexible display during the one or more manipulations; and touch input data includes touch input data for one or more touch inputs registered by one or more touch sensors of the touchscreen corresponding to one or more touches input to the touchscreen during the one or more manipulations. Note, that in at least one embodiment, the logic may include at least one processor and at least one memory.
OTHER NOTES AND EXAMPLESThe following examples pertain to embodiments in accordance with this Specification. Note that all optional features of the apparatuses and systems described above may also be implemented with respect to the methods or processes described herein and specifics in the examples may be used anywhere in one or more embodiments.
Example 1 is an electronic device comprising: a display portion that comprises: a flexible display configured to be manipulated in one or more directions; a touchscreen overlaying the flexible display; and a pressure sensor array configured beneath the flexible display, wherein the pressure sensor array is configured to measure inputs for one or more manipulations made to at least one of the display portion and the flexible display.
In Example 2, the subject matter of Example 1 can optionally include the flexible display being a flexible organic light emitting diode (OLED) display configured to be manipulated in one or more directions.
In Example 3, the subject matter of any one of Examples 1-2 can optionally include the touchscreen being a capacitive touchscreen configured to be manipulated in one or more directions.
In Example 4, the subject matter of any one of Examples 1-3 can optionally include the pressure sensor array comprising an array of thin-film capacitive pressure sensors.
In Example 5, the subject matter of any one of Examples 1-4 can optionally include the display portion being configured to be manipulated in one or more directions.
In Example 6, the subject matter of any one of Examples 1-5 can optionally include the pressure sensor array being configured along a perimeter of the flexible display.
In Example 7, the subject matter of any one of Examples 1-6 can optionally include the pressure sensor array being configured along a perimeter beneath the flexible display.
In Example 8, the subject matter of any one of Examples 1-7 can optionally include wireless communication circuitry contained in the display portion.
In Example 9 the subject matter of any one of Examples 1-8 can optionally include a strap portion, wherein the display portion is secured to the strap portion.
In Example 10, the subject matter of Example 9 can optionally include the strap portion being configured to include one or more sensors to register one or more manipulations made to the strap portion.
Example 11 is an electronic device comprising: logic, at least a portion of which is partially implemented in hardware, the logic configured to: receive, for one or more manipulations of a flexible display of the electronic device, input data for one or more inputs registered by at least one of: a touchscreen overlaying the flexible display and a pressure sensor array configured along a perimeter of the flexible display; associate the manipulations with operations for the electronic device, based, at least in part on the input data; and cause the operations to be performed for the electronic device.
In Example 12, the subject matter of Example 11 can optionally include the input data including at least one of: pressure input data for pressure measurements registered by one or more pressure sensors of the pressure sensor array corresponding to one or more forces applied to the flexible display during the one or more manipulations; and touch input data includes touch input data for one or more touch inputs registered by one or more touch sensors of the touchscreen corresponding to one or more touches input to the touchscreen during the one or more manipulations.
In Example 13, the subject matter of any one of Examples 11-12 can optionally include the logic being further configured to determine a context of the manipulations, wherein the manipulations can be associated with operations for one or more applications or system operations; and associate the manipulations with operations for the electronic device based on the input data and the context of the manipulations.
In Example 14, the subject matter of any one of Examples 11-13 can optionally include the logic being further configured to cause one or more content scrolling operations to be performed for the electronic device, wherein the content scrolling operations include scrolling content displayed on the flexible display in one or more scrolling directions.
In Example 15, the subject matter of any one of Examples 11-14 can optionally include the logic being further configured to cause one or more content zooming operations to be performed for the electronic device, wherein the content zooming operations include zooming content displayed on the flexible display in one or more directions.
In Example 16, the subject matter of any one of Examples 11-15 can optionally include the logic being further configured to cause one or more communication operations to be performed for the electronic device, wherein the communication operations include communicating data from the device using wireless communication circuitry in the electronic device.
In Example 17, the subject matter of any one of Examples 11-16 can optionally include the logic being further configured to cause one or more content view rotation operations to be performed for the electronic device, wherein the content view rotation operations include rotating a view of content displayed on the flexible display in left or right.
In Example 18, the subject matter of any one of Examples 11-17 can optionally include the logic being further configured to update or change the operations based on additional input data received for additional manipulations.
In Example 19, the subject matter of Example 18 can optionally include the logic being further configured to cause at least one of: an increase or a decrease a scroll rate of one or more content scrolling operations corresponding, respectively, to an increase or a decrease in applied force measured by one or more pressure sensors of the pressure sensory array; an increase or a decrease a zoom rate of one or more content zooming operations corresponding, respectively, to an increase or a decrease in applied force measured by one or more pressure sensors of the pressure sensory array; and an increase or a decrease a rotation rate of one or more content rotation operations corresponding, respectively, to an increase or a decrease in applied force measured by one or more pressure sensors of the pressure sensory array.
In Example 20, the subject matter of any one of Examples 11-19 can optionally include the logic further comprising at least one processor; and at least one memory.
Example 21 is at least one computer readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause an apparatus to: receive, for one or more manipulations of a flexible display of an electronic device, input data for one or more inputs registered by at least one of: a touchscreen overlaying the flexible display and a pressure sensor array configured along a perimeter of the flexible display; associate the manipulations with operations for the electronic device, based, at least in part on the input data; and cause the operations to be performed for the electronic device.
In Example 22, the subject matter of Example 21 can optionally include the input data including at least one of: pressure input data for pressure measurements registered by one or more pressure sensors of the pressure sensor array corresponding to one or more forces applied to the flexible display during the one or more manipulations; and touch input data includes touch input data for one or more touch inputs registered by one or more touch sensors of the touchscreen corresponding to one or more touches input to the touchscreen during the one or more manipulations.
In Example 23, the subject matter of any one of Examples 21-22 can optionally include instructions that, when executed cause the apparatus to determine a context of the manipulations, wherein the manipulations can be associated with operations for one or more applications or system operations; and associate the manipulations with operations for the electronic device based on the input data and the context of the manipulations.
In Example 24, the subject matter of any one of Examples 21-23 can optionally include instructions that, when executed, cause the apparatus to cause one or more content scrolling operations to be performed for the electronic device, wherein the content scrolling operations include scrolling content displayed on the flexible display in one or more scrolling directions.
In Example 25, the subject matter of any one of Examples 21-24 can optionally include instructions that, when executed, cause the apparatus to cause one or more content zooming operations to be performed for the electronic device, wherein the content zooming operations include zooming content displayed on the flexible display in one or more directions.
In Example 26, the subject matter of any one of Examples 21-25 can optionally include instructions that, when executed, cause the apparatus to cause one or more communication operations to be performed for the electronic device, wherein the communication operations include communicating data from the device using wireless communication circuitry in the electronic device.
In Example 27, the subject matter of any one of Examples 21-26 can optionally include instructions that, when executed, cause the apparatus to cause one or more content view rotation operations to be performed for the electronic device, wherein the content view rotation operations include rotating a view of content displayed on the flexible display in left or right.
In Example 28, the subject matter of any one of Examples 21-27 can optionally include instructions that, when executed, cause the apparatus to update or change the operations based on additional input data received for additional manipulations.
In Example 29, the subject matter of Example 28 can optionally include instructions that, when executed, cause the apparatus to cause at least one of: an increase or a decrease a scroll rate of one or more content scrolling operations corresponding, respectively, to an increase or a decrease in applied force measured by one or more pressure sensors of the pressure sensory array; an increase or a decrease a zoom rate of one or more content zooming operations corresponding, respectively, to an increase or a decrease in applied force measured by one or more pressure sensors of the pressure sensory array; and an increase or a decrease a rotation rate of one or more content rotation operations corresponding, respectively, to an increase or a decrease in applied force measured by one or more pressure sensors of the pressure sensory array.
Example 30 is a method comprising: receiving, for one or more manipulations of a flexible display of an electronic device, input data for one or more inputs registered by at least one of: a touchscreen overlaying the flexible display and a pressure sensor array configured along a perimeter of the flexible display; associating the manipulations with operations for the electronic device, based, at least in part on the input data; and causing the operations to be performed for the electronic device.
In Example 31, the subject matter of Example 30 can optionally include the input data including at least one of: pressure input data for pressure measurements registered by one or more pressure sensors of the pressure sensor array corresponding to one or more forces applied to the flexible display during the one or more manipulations; and touch input data includes touch input data for one or more touch inputs registered by one or more touch sensors of the touchscreen corresponding to one or more touches input to the touchscreen during the one or more manipulations.
In Example 32, the subject matter of any one of Examples 30-31 can optionally include determining a context of the manipulations, wherein the manipulations can be associated with operations for one or more applications or system operations; and associating the manipulations with operations for the electronic device based on the input data and the context of the manipulations.
In Example 33, the subject matter of any one of Examples 30-32 can optionally include causing one or more content scrolling operations to be performed for the electronic device, wherein the content scrolling operations include scrolling content displayed on the flexible display in one or more scrolling directions.
In Example 34, the subject matter of any one of Examples 30-33 can optionally include causing one or more content zooming operations to be performed for the electronic device, wherein the content zooming operations include zooming content displayed on the flexible display in one or more directions.
In Example 35, the subject matter of any one of Examples 30-34 can optionally include causing one or more communication operations to be performed for the electronic device, wherein the communication operations include communicating data from the device using wireless communication circuitry in the electronic device.
In Example 36, the subject matter of any one of Examples 30-35 can optionally include causing one or more content view rotation operations to be performed for the electronic device, wherein the content view rotation operations include rotating a view of content displayed on the flexible display in left or right.
In Example 37, the subject matter of any one of Examples 30-36 can optionally include updating or changing the operations based on additional input data received for additional manipulations.
In Example 38, the subject matter of Example 27 can optionally include at least one of: increasing or decreasing a scroll rate of one or more content scrolling operations corresponding, respectively, to an increase or a decrease in applied force measured by one or more pressure sensors of the pressure sensory array; increasing or decreasing a zoom rate of one or more content zooming operations corresponding, respectively, to an increase or a decrease in applied force measured by one or more pressure sensors of the pressure sensory array; and increasing or decreasing a rotation rate of one or more content rotation operations corresponding, respectively, to an increase or a decrease in applied force measured by one or more pressure sensors of the pressure sensory array.
Example 39 is an apparatus comprising means for performing the method of any one of Examples 30-38.
In Example 40, the subject matter of Example 39 can optionally include the means for performing the method further comprising at least one processor and at least one memory element.
In Example 41, the subject matter of Example of Example 40 can optionally include the memory comprising machine readable instructions, that when executed cause the apparatus to perform the method of any one of Examples 30-38.
In Example 42, the subject matter of any one of Examples 39-41 can optionally include the apparatus being a flexible display system.
Example 43 is at least one computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed, implement a method or realize an apparatus as recited in any one of claim 1-20 or 30-38.
Example 44 is a system comprising: a display portion of an electronic device that comprises: a flexible display configured to be manipulated in one or more directions; a touchscreen overlaying the flexible display; and a pressure sensor array configured beneath the flexible display, wherein the pressure sensor array is configured to measure inputs for one or more manipulations made to at least one of the display portion and the flexible display; and logic, at least a portion of which is partially implemented in hardware, the logic configured to: receive, for one or more manipulations of the flexible display, input data for one or more inputs registered by at least one of: the touchscreen and the pressure sensor array; associate the manipulations with operations for the electronic device, based, at least in part on the input data; and cause the operations to be performed for the electronic device.
In Example 45, the subject matter of Example 44 can optionally include the flexible display being a flexible organic light emitting diode (OLED) display configured to be manipulated in one or more directions.
In Example 46, the subject matter of any one of Examples 44-45 can optionally include the touchscreen being a capacitive touchscreen configured to be manipulated in one or more directions.
In Example 47, the subject matter of any one of Examples 44-46 can optionally include the pressure sensor array comprising an array of thin-film capacitive pressure sensors.
In Example 48, the subject matter of any one of Examples 44-47 can optionally include the display portion being configured to be manipulated in one or more directions.
In Example 49, the subject matter of any one of Examples 44-48 can optionally include the pressure sensor array being configured along a perimeter of the flexible display.
In Example 50, the subject matter of any one of Examples 44-49 can optionally include the pressure sensor array being configured along a perimeter beneath the flexible display.
In Example 51, the subject matter of any one of Examples 44-50 can optionally include wireless communication circuitry contained in the display portion.
In Example 52, the subject matter of any one of Examples 44-51 can optionally include a strap portion, wherein the display portion is secured to the strap portion.
In Example 53, the subject matter of Example 52 can optionally include one or more sensors to register one or more manipulations made to the strap portion.
In Example 54, the subject matter of any one of Examples 44-53 can optionally include the logic being further configured to determine a context of the manipulations, wherein the manipulations can be associated with operations for one or more applications or system operations; and associate the manipulations with operations for the electronic device based on the input data and the context of the manipulations.
In Example 55, the subject matter of any one of Examples 44-54 can optionally include the logic being further configured to cause one or more content scrolling operations to be performed for the electronic device, wherein the content scrolling operations include scrolling content displayed on the flexible display in one or more scrolling directions.
In Example 56, the subject matter of any one of Examples 44-55 can optionally include the logic being further configured to cause one or more content zooming operations to be performed for the electronic device, wherein the content zooming operations include zooming content displayed on the flexible display in one or more directions.
In Example 57, the subject matter of any one of Examples 44-56 can optionally include the logic being further configured to cause one or more communication operations to be performed for the electronic device, wherein the communication operations include communicating data from the device using wireless communication circuitry in the electronic device.
In Example 58, the subject matter of any one of Examples 44-57 can optionally include the logic being further configured to cause one or more content view rotation operations to be performed for the electronic device, wherein the content view rotation operations include rotating a view of content displayed on the flexible display in left or right.
In Example 59, the subject matter of any one of Examples 44-58 can optionally include the logic being further configured to update or change the operations based on additional input data received for additional manipulations.
In Example 60, the subject matter of Example 59 can optionally include the logic being further configured to cause at least one of: an increase or a decrease a scroll rate of one or more content scrolling operations corresponding, respectively, to an increase or a decrease in applied force measured by one or more pressure sensors of the pressure sensory array; an increase or a decrease a zoom rate of one or more content zooming operations corresponding, respectively, to an increase or a decrease in applied force measured by one or more pressure sensors of the pressure sensory array; and an increase or a decrease a rotation rate of one or more content rotation operations corresponding, respectively, to an increase or a decrease in applied force measured by one or more pressure sensors of the pressure sensory array.
In Example 61, the subject matter of any one of Examples 44-60 can optionally include at least one processor; and at least one memory.
Example 62 is an apparatus comprising: means for receiving, for one or more manipulations of a flexible display of an electronic device, input data for one or more inputs registered by at least one of: a touchscreen overlaying the flexible display and a pressure sensor array configured along a perimeter of the flexible display; means for associating the manipulations with operations for the electronic device, based, at least in part on the input data; and means for causing the operations to be performed for the electronic device.
In Example 63, the subject matter of Example 62 can optionally include the input data including at least one of pressure input data for pressure measurements registered by one or more pressure sensors of the pressure sensor array corresponding to one or more forces applied to the flexible display during the one or more manipulations; and touch input data includes touch input data for one or more touch inputs registered by one or more touch sensors of the touchscreen corresponding to one or more touches input to the touchscreen during the one or more manipulations.
In Example 64, the subject matter of any one of Examples 62-63 can optionally include means for determining a context of the manipulations, wherein the manipulations can be associated with operations for one or more applications or system operations; and means for associating the manipulations with operations for the electronic device based on the input data and the context of the manipulations.
Claims
1. An electronic device, comprising:
- a display portion that comprises: a flexible display configured to be manipulated in one or more directions; a touchscreen overlaying the flexible display; and a pressure sensor array configured beneath the flexible display, wherein the pressure sensor array is configured to measure inputs for one or more manipulations made to at least one of the display portion and the flexible display.
2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the flexible display is a flexible organic light emitting diode (OLED) display configured to be manipulated in one or more directions.
3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the touchscreen is a capacitive touchscreen configured to be manipulated in one or more directions.
4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the pressure sensor array comprises an array of thin-film capacitive pressure sensors.
5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the display portion is configured to be manipulated in one or more directions.
6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the pressure sensor array is configured along a perimeter of the flexible display.
7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the pressure sensor array is configured along a perimeter beneath the flexible display.
8. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:
- wireless communication circuitry contained in the display portion.
9. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:
- a strap portion, wherein the display portion is secured to the strap portion.
10. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the strap portion is configured to include one or more sensors to register one or more manipulations made to the strap portion.
11. An electronic device, comprising:
- logic, at least a portion of which is partially implemented in hardware, the logic configured to: receive, for one or more manipulations of a flexible display of the electronic device, input data for one or more inputs registered by at least one of: a touchscreen overlaying the flexible display and a pressure sensor array configured along a perimeter of the flexible display; associate the manipulations with operations for the electronic device, based, at least in part on the input data; and cause the operations to be performed for the electronic device.
12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the input data includes at least one of:
- pressure input data for pressure measurements registered by one or more pressure sensors of the pressure sensor array corresponding to one or more forces applied to the flexible display during the one or more manipulations; and
- touch input data includes touch input data for one or more touch inputs registered by one or more touch sensors of the touchscreen corresponding to one or more touches input to the touchscreen during the one or more manipulations.
13. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the logic is further configured to:
- determine a context of the manipulations, wherein the manipulations can be associated with operations for one or more applications or system operations; and
- associate the manipulations with operations for the electronic device based on the input data and the context of the manipulations.
14. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the logic is further configured to:
- cause one or more content scrolling operations to be performed for the electronic device, wherein the content scrolling operations include scrolling content displayed on the flexible display in one or more scrolling directions.
15. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the logic is further configured to:
- cause one or more content zooming operations to be performed for the electronic device, wherein the content zooming operations include zooming content displayed on the flexible display in one or more directions.
16. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the logic is further configured to:
- cause one or more communication operations to be performed for the electronic device, wherein the communication operations include communicating data from the device using wireless communication circuitry in the electronic device.
17. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the logic is further configured to:
- cause one or more content view rotation operations to be performed for the electronic device, wherein the content view rotation operations include rotating a view of content displayed on the flexible display in left or right.
18. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the logic is further configured to:
- update or change the operations based on additional input data received for additional manipulations.
19. The electronic device of claim 18, wherein, for an update of the operations, the logic is further configured to cause at least one of:
- an increase or a decrease a scroll rate of one or more content scrolling operations corresponding, respectively, to an increase or a decrease in applied force measured by one or more pressure sensors of the pressure sensory array;
- an increase or a decrease a zoom rate of one or more content zooming operations corresponding, respectively, to an increase or a decrease in applied force measured by one or more pressure sensors of the pressure sensory array; and
- an increase or a decrease a rotation rate of one or more content rotation operations corresponding, respectively, to an increase or a decrease in applied force measured by one or more pressure sensors of the pressure sensory array.
20. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the logic further comprises:
- at least one processor; and
- at least one memory.
21. At least one computer readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause an apparatus to:
- receive, for one or more manipulations of a flexible display of an electronic device, input data for one or more inputs registered by at least one of: a touchscreen overlaying the flexible display and a pressure sensor array configured along a perimeter of the flexible display;
- associate the manipulations with operations for the electronic device, based, at least in part on the input data; and
- cause the operations to be performed for the electronic device.
22. The medium of claim 21, further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the apparatus to:
- determine a context of the manipulations, wherein the manipulations can be associated with operations for one or more applications or system operations; and
- associate the manipulations with operations for the electronic device based on the input data and the context of the manipulations.
23. A system, comprising:
- a display portion of an electronic device that comprises: a flexible display configured to be manipulated in one or more directions; a touchscreen overlaying the flexible display; and a pressure sensor array configured beneath the flexible display, wherein the pressure sensor array is configured to measure inputs for one or more manipulations made to at least one of the display portion and the flexible display; and
- logic, at least a portion of which is partially implemented in hardware, the logic configured to: receive, for one or more manipulations of the flexible display, input data for one or more inputs registered by at least one of: the touchscreen and the pressure sensor array; associate the manipulations with operations for the electronic device, based, at least in part on the input data; and cause the operations to be performed for the electronic device.
24. The system of claim 23, wherein the display is a flexible organic light emitting diode (OLED) display configured to be manipulated in one or more directions.
25. The system of claim 23, further comprising:
- at least one processor; and
- at least one memory.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 27, 2013
Publication Date: Jul 2, 2015
Inventors: Aleksander Magi (Aloha, OR), Ryan S. Brotman (Beaverton, OR)
Application Number: 14/142,277
