KR102034320B1 - Wearable electronic device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a wearable electronic device, the wearable electronic device according to an aspect of the present invention further comprises a display portion; A band portion connected to the display unit and providing a mechanism for allowing the wearable electronic device to be worn on a user's wrist; A band touch sensor disposed in the band region and having a force direction sensor unit detecting a shear force of a contact applied to a point by an external object; And a control unit for acquiring a shear force of a band touch input to the band touch sensor from the band touch sensor and generating a control signal for executing a corresponding operation based on any one of the obtained attributes of the shear force. It can include;

Description

Wearable electronics {WEARABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE}

The present invention relates to a wearable electronic device, and more particularly, to a wearable electronic device that provides a more convenient user interface for controlling the operation of the wearable device.

Recently, the development of smart devices such as smart phones, smart watches and smart glasses has made a remarkable growth, providing a convenient environment for the public in daily life. In particular, smart watches are one of the most popular wearable devices.

By the way, the smart watch is developed to provide a user interface with a touch screen similar to the existing smart phone, the smart watch, unlike a smartphone or tablet PC, because the display screen is small When a user interface is simply provided using a touch input through a touch screen, the screen is covered by a user's finger or a touch pen, and thus, the user is very likely to feel uncomfortable.

In order to solve this problem, it is urgent to develop a more convenient and intuitive user interface that can be applied to a wearable device such as a smart watch.

An object of the present invention is to provide a wearable electronic device that provides a more convenient user interface for controlling the operation of the wearable device.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is not limited to the above-described problem, the objects that are not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the present specification and the accompanying drawings. .

According to an aspect of the invention, the display portion (display portion); A band portion connected to the display unit and providing a mechanism for allowing the wearable electronic device to be worn on a user's wrist; A band touch sensor disposed in the band region and having a force direction sensor unit detecting a shear force of a contact applied to a point by an external object; And a control unit for acquiring a shear force of a band touch input to the band touch sensor from the band touch sensor and generating a control signal for executing a corresponding operation based on any one of the obtained attributes of the shear force. Wearable electronic devices including; may be provided.

According to another aspect of the invention, a display portion (first band portion) connected to the first side of the display portion; A second band portion connected to the second side of the display unit; A first band touch sensor disposed in the first band region and receiving a first band touch; A second band touch sensor disposed in the second band region and receiving a second band touch; And determining whether the first band region and the second band region are connected to each other, and when determining that the first band region and the second band region are connected to each other, the first band touch sensor and the second band. Based on the first band touch and the second band touch input through the touch sensor, perform an operation corresponding to the first band touch, or perform an operation corresponding to the second band touch, or The wearable electronic device may include a controller configured to generate a control signal for executing an operation corresponding to a combination of the first band touch and the second band touch.

Means for solving the problems of the present invention are not limited to the above-described solutions, and the solutions not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the present specification and the accompanying drawings. Could be.

According to the present invention, a user input can be received without covering the display of the wearable device. In addition, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a user interface with increased user convenience and more intuitiveness. Can be.

The effects of the present invention are not limited to the above-described effects, and effects that are not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the present specification and the accompanying drawings.

1 is a block diagram of a wearable electronic device according to embodiments of the present invention.
2 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an appearance of a wearable electronic device according to embodiments of the present invention.
3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a process of detecting a direction of a force by using the strength of the force according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the wearable electronic device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 5 and 6 are reference diagrams for describing an operation of the wearable electronic device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the wearable electronic device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a reference diagram for describing an operation of a wearable electronic device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Since the embodiments described herein are intended to clearly explain the spirit of the present invention to those skilled in the art, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein, and the present invention. The scope of should be construed to include modifications or variations without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The terminology used herein is a general term that has been widely used as far as possible in view of the functions of the present invention, but may vary according to the intention of a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs, custom or the emergence of a new technology. Can be. In contrast, when a specific term is defined and used in any meaning, the meaning of the term will be described separately. Therefore, the terms used in the present specification should be interpreted based on the actual meaning of the terms and the contents throughout the present specification, rather than simple names of the terms.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The drawings attached to the present specification are provided to easily explain the present invention, and the shapes shown in the drawings may be exaggerated and displayed as necessary to help the present invention.

In the present specification, when it is determined that a detailed description of a known configuration or function related to the present invention may obscure the gist of the present invention, a detailed description thereof will be omitted as necessary.

According to an aspect of the invention, the display portion (display portion); A band portion connected to the display unit and providing a mechanism for allowing the wearable electronic device to be worn on a user's wrist; A band touch sensor disposed in the band region and having a force direction sensor unit detecting a shear force of a contact applied to a point by an external object; And a control unit for acquiring a shear force of a band touch input to the band touch sensor from the band touch sensor and generating a control signal for executing a corresponding operation based on any one of the obtained attributes of the shear force. Wearable electronic devices including; may be provided.

The properties of the shear force may include at least one of a shear force direction and shear force strength or a combination thereof.

The band region may include a first band region connected to a first side of the display unit and a second band region connected to a second side of the display unit, wherein the band touch sensor is disposed in the first band region. It may include a first band touch sensor and a second band touch sensor disposed in the second band region.

The control unit may receive a first band touch through the first band touch sensor, receive a second band touch through the second band touch sensor, any one of the shear force properties of the first band touch, and The control signal for executing a corresponding operation may be generated based on any one of the shear force properties of the second band touch.

According to another aspect of the invention, a display portion (first band portion) connected to the first side of the display portion; A second band portion connected to the second side of the display unit; A first band touch sensor disposed in the first band region and receiving a first band touch; A second band touch sensor disposed in the second band region and receiving a second band touch; And determining whether the first band region and the second band region are connected to each other, and when determining that the first band region and the second band region are connected to each other, the first band touch sensor and the second band. Based on the first band touch and the second band touch input through the touch sensor, perform an operation corresponding to the first band touch, or perform an operation corresponding to the second band touch, or The wearable electronic device may include a controller configured to generate a control signal for executing an operation corresponding to a combination of the first band touch and the second band touch.

The control unit may be sensed through a connection detection sensor provided in at least one of one end of the first band region connected to the second band region and one end of the second band region connected to the first band region. Based on the value, it may be determined that the first band region and the second band region are connected to each other.

At least one of the first band touch sensor and the second band touch sensor may sense whether at least one of the first band area and the second band area is a flat state or a bending state. It may be characterized by further comprising a bending sensor.

The controller is further configured to connect the first band region and the second band region when at least one of the first band region and the second band region is in a flat state based on the sensing value received from the bending sensor. It may be characterized by the fact that it did not.

The controller determines that the first band region and the second band region are connected when the first band region and the second band region are in a bending state based on the sensing value received from the bending sensor. It can be characterized.

The controller, when it is determined that the first band region and the second band region are not connected to each other, the first band touch and the second band touch sensor input through the first band touch sensor and the second band touch sensor. It can be characterized by ignoring the band touch.

The controller may be configured to deactivate the first band touch sensor and the second band touch sensor when it is determined that the first band area and the second band area do not correspond to each other.

The first band touch and the second band touch may be a band touch position, a band touch duration time, a band touch moving direction, a band touch pressure, and a band touch shear force direction. It may have an attribute including at least one or a combination thereof.

The controller may use at least one of the attributes of the first band touch to identify an operation corresponding to the first band touch.

The controller may use at least one of the attributes of the second band touch to identify an operation corresponding to the second band touch.

The controller may use a combination of at least one of the attributes of the first band touch and at least one of the attributes of the second band touch to identify an operation corresponding to the first band touch and the second band touch. It may be characterized by.

Hereinafter, a schematic description of the configuration of the wearable electronic device according to some embodiments of the present invention will be described first, and then, the operation of the wearable electronic device according to the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.

<Configuration of Wearable Electronics>

1 is a block diagram of a wearable electronic device according to embodiments of the present invention.

The wearable electronic device 100 may include a wireless communication unit 110, an A / V input unit 120, a user input unit 130, a sensing unit 140, an output unit 150, and a memory unit 160. , An interface unit 170, a controller 180, and a power supply unit 190 may be included. Since the components shown in FIG. 1 are not essential, wearable electronics having more or fewer components may be implemented.

Hereinafter, the components will be described in order.

The wireless communication unit 110 may include one or more modules that enable wireless communication between the wearable electronic device 100 and the wireless communication system or between a network in which the wearable electronic device 100 and the wearable electronic device 100 are located. . For example, the wireless communication unit 110 may include a broadcast receiving module 111, a mobile communication module 112, a wireless internet module 113, a short range communication module 114, a location information module 115, and the like. .

The broadcast receiving module 111 receives a broadcast signal and / or broadcast related information from an external broadcast management server through a broadcast channel.

The broadcast channel may include a satellite channel and a terrestrial channel. The broadcast management server may mean a server that generates and transmits a broadcast signal and / or broadcast related information or a server that receives a previously generated broadcast signal and / or broadcast related information and transmits the same to a terminal. The broadcast signal may include not only a TV broadcast signal, a radio broadcast signal, and a data broadcast signal, but also a broadcast signal having a data broadcast signal combined with a TV broadcast signal or a radio broadcast signal.

The broadcast related information may mean information related to a broadcast channel, a broadcast program, or a broadcast service provider. The broadcast related information may also be provided through a mobile communication network. In this case, it may be received by the mobile communication module 112.

The broadcast related information may exist in various forms. For example, it may exist in the form of Electronic Program Guide (EPG) of Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) or Electronic Service Guide (ESG) of Digital Video BroadcastHandheld (DVBH).

The broadcast receiving module 111 receives a broadcast signal using various broadcasting systems, in particular, Digital Multimedia Broadcasting Terrestrial (DMBT), Digital Multimedia Broadcasting Satellite (DMBS), Media Forward Link Only (MediaFLO), and Digital Video BroadcastHandheld (DVBH). ), A digital broadcast signal can be received using a digital broadcast system such as Integrated Services Digital Broadcast Terrestrial (ISDBT). Of course, the broadcast receiving module 111 may be configured to be suitable for not only the above-described digital broadcast system but also other broadcast system for providing a broadcast signal.

The broadcast signal and / or broadcast related information received through the broadcast receiving module 111 may be stored in the memory unit 160.

The mobile communication module 112 transmits and receives a wireless signal with at least one of a base station, an external terminal, and a server on a mobile communication network. The wireless signal may include various types of data according to transmission and reception of a voice call signal, a video call call signal, or a text / multimedia message.

The wireless internet module 113 refers to a module for wireless internet access, and the wireless internet module 113 may be built in or external to the wearable electronic device 100. Wireless Internet technologies may include Wireless LAN (WiFi), Wireless Broadband (Wibro), World Interoperability for Microwave Access (Wimax), High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), and the like.

The short range communication module 114 refers to a module for short range communication. As a short range communication technology, Bluetooth, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), infrared data association (IrDA), Ultra Wideband (UWB), ZigBee, WiHD, WiGig, and the like may be used.

The location information module 115 is a module for checking or obtaining the location of the electronic device. A representative example of the location information module is a GPS (Global Position System) module. According to the current technology, the GPS module 115 calculates information about a distance of one point (object) away from three or more satellites, and information on a time at which the distance information is measured, and then calculates the calculated distance information. By applying the trigonometric method to, three-dimensional positional information according to latitude, longitude, and altitude of one point (object) at one time can be calculated. Furthermore, a method of calculating position and time information using three satellites and correcting the error of the calculated position and time information using another satellite is also used. The GPS module 115 may continuously calculate the current position in real time and use the same to calculate speed information.

Referring to FIG. 1, the A / V input unit 120 is for inputting an audio signal or a video signal, and may include a camera 121 and a microphone 122. The camera 121 processes image frames such as still images or moving images obtained by the image sensor in the video call mode or the photographing mode. The processed image frame may be displayed on the display unit 151.

The image frame processed by the camera 121 may be stored in the memory unit 160 or transmitted to the outside through the wireless communication unit 110. Two or more cameras 121 may be provided according to the configuration aspect of the wearable wearable electronic device 100.

The microphone 122 receives an external sound signal by a microphone in a call mode, a recording mode, a voice recognition mode, etc., and processes the external sound signal into electrical voice data. The processed voice data may be converted into a form transmittable to the mobile communication base station through the mobile communication module 112 and output in the call mode. The microphone 122 may implement various noise removing algorithms for removing noise generated in the process of receiving an external sound signal.

The user input unit 130 generates input data for the user to control the operation of the wearable wearable electronic device 100. The user input unit 130 may include a key pad dome switch, a touch pad (static pressure / capacitance), a jog wheel, a jog switch, and the like.

Meanwhile, the user input unit 130 may include a force direction sensor unit 131 capable of detecting a force direction of a touch and / or contact. The force direction sensor unit 131 detects the position of the touch and / or contact, which may be implemented by a general touch screen and / or touch pad, in particular, the force direction of the touch and / or contact. It may be a means for further sensing.

In the present invention, the term "force direction" refers to a concept that includes a shear force acting in a direction parallel to the touch surface, which cannot be detected by a conventional touch sensor. That is, the force direction sensor unit 131 according to an embodiment of the present invention may detect not only a force direction in a vertical direction with respect to the touch surface but also a direction of shear force acting in parallel with the touch surface.

The force direction sensor unit 131 may be manufactured in an integral form with respect to a conventional touch screen and configured to sense a touch and / or a touch on the touch screen, or a display of a wearable electronic device according to the present invention. It may be provided separately on the whole or part of the outer rim surrounding the part 151, and may be configured to detect a touch and / or contact with the rim. A detailed operation of the force direction sensor unit 131 will be described later.

The sensing unit 140 detects the current state of the wearable electronic device 100 such as the position of the wearable electronic device 100, presence or absence of user contact, orientation of the electronic device, acceleration / deceleration of the wearable electronic device 100, and the like. A sensing signal for controlling the operation of the device 100 is generated. In addition, it may be responsible for sensing functions related to whether the power supply unit 190 is supplied with power, whether the interface unit 170 is coupled to an external device, and the like. Meanwhile, the sensing unit 140 may include an attitude sensor 141 and / or a proximity sensor 142. In addition, the sensing unit 140 may include a biosensor capable of measuring various bio signals of a user. On the other hand, the sensing unit 140 may include a connection detection sensor for determining whether or not the wearable electronic device 100 is worn by the user. In addition, the sensing unit 140 may include a bending sensor that may determine whether the band regions BP1 and BP2 of the wearable electronic device 100 are in a bending state or a flat state. If the force direction sensor described below with reference to FIG. 3 is provided in the band region, the force direction sensor may function as a bending sensor.

The output unit 150 is used to generate an output related to sight, hearing, or tactile sense, and includes a display unit 151, an audio output module 152, an alarm unit 153, and a haptic module 154. Can be.

The display unit 151 displays and outputs information processed by the wearable electronic device 100. For example, when the electronic device is in a call mode, the electronic device displays a user interface (UI) or a graphic user interface (GUI) related to the call. When the wearable electronic device 100 is in a video call mode or a photographing mode, the wearable electronic device 100 displays a photographed and / or received image, a UI, or a GUI.

The display unit 151 may be a liquid crystal display, a thin film transistor liquid crystal display, an organic light emitting diode, a flexible display, or a 3D display. It may include at least one.

Two or more display units 151 may exist according to the implementation form of the wearable electronic device 100. For example, in the wearable electronic device 100, a plurality of display units may be spaced apart from or integrally disposed on one surface, or may be disposed on different surfaces. Alternatively, the display unit 151 may be logically divided into two or more areas.

When the display unit 151 and a sensor for detecting a touch operation (hereinafter, referred to as a touch sensor) form a mutual layer structure (hereinafter, abbreviated as “touch screen”), the display unit 151 is an output device. It can also be used as an input device. The touch sensor may have, for example, a form of a touch film, a touch sheet, a touch pad, or the like.

The touch sensor may be configured to convert a change in pressure applied to a specific portion of the display unit 151 or capacitance generated in a specific portion of the display unit 151 into an electrical input signal.

If there is a touch input to the touch sensor, the corresponding signal (s) is sent to the touch controller. The touch controller processes the signal (s) and then transmits the corresponding data to the controller 180. As a result, the controller 180 can know which area of the display unit 151 is touched.

Referring to FIG. 1, a proximity sensor 142 may be disposed near an inner region of the electronic device wrapped by the touch screen or near the touch screen. The proximity sensor 142 refers to a sensor that detects the presence or absence of an object approaching a predetermined detection surface or an object present in the vicinity thereof without a mechanical contact by using an electromagnetic force or infrared rays. The proximity sensor 142 has a longer life and higher utilization than a contact sensor.

Examples of the proximity sensor 142 include a transmission photoelectric sensor, a direct reflection photoelectric sensor, a mirror reflection photoelectric sensor, a high frequency oscillation proximity sensor, a capacitive proximity sensor, a magnetic proximity sensor, and an infrared proximity sensor.

When the touch screen is capacitive, the touch screen is configured to detect the proximity of the pointer by the change of the electric field according to the proximity of the pointer. In this case, the touch screen (touch sensor) may be classified as a proximity sensor.

Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the act of allowing the pointer to be recognized without being in contact with the touch screen so that the pointer is located on the touch screen is referred to as a "proximity touch", and the touch The act of actually touching the pointer on the screen is called "contact touch." The position where the proximity touch is performed by the pointer on the touch screen refers to a position where the pointer is perpendicular to the touch screen when the pointer is in proximity proximity. However, when the touch does not need to be distinguished from the proximity touch and the touch touch, the term “touch” or “touch input” includes both an input by a proximity touch and an input by a touch touch.

The proximity sensor 142 detects a proximity touch and a proximity touch pattern (for example, a proximity touch distance, a proximity touch direction, a proximity touch speed, a proximity touch time, a proximity touch position, and a proximity touch movement state). Information corresponding to the sensed proximity touch operation and proximity touch pattern may be output on the touch screen.

The sound output module 152 may output audio data received from the wireless communication unit 110 or stored in the memory unit 160 in a call signal reception, a call mode or a recording mode, a voice recognition mode, a broadcast reception mode, and the like. The sound output module 152 outputs a sound signal related to a function (eg, a call signal reception sound, a message reception sound, etc.) performed by the wearable electronic device 100. The sound output module 152 may include a receiver, a speaker, a buzzer, and the like.

The alarm unit 153 outputs a signal for notifying occurrence of an event of the wearable electronic device 100. Examples of events occurring in electronic devices include call signal reception, message reception, key signal input, and touch input. The alarm unit 153 may output a signal for notifying occurrence of an event in a form other than a video signal or an audio signal, for example, vibration. The video signal or the audio signal may also be output through the display unit 151 or the audio output module 152.

The haptic module 154 generates various haptic effects that a user can feel. Vibration is a representative example of the haptic effect generated by the haptic module 154. The intensity and pattern of vibration generated by the haptic module 154 can be controlled. For example, different vibrations may be synthesized and output or may be sequentially output.

In addition to the vibration, the haptic module 154 may be used for the effects of stimulation by the arrangement of pins vertically moving with respect to the contact skin surface, the effect of the jetting force of the air through the injection or inlet or the stimulation through the suction force, and the stimulation that strikes the skin surface. Various tactile effects may be generated, such as effects by stimulation through contact of electrodes, effects by stimulation using electrostatic force, and effects of reproducing a sense of warmth and heat using an endothermic or heat generating element.

The haptic module 154 may not only deliver the haptic effect through direct contact, but also implement the haptic effect through the muscle sense of the user's finger or arm. Two or more haptic modules 154 may be provided according to a configuration aspect of the wearable electronic device 100.

The memory unit 160 may store a program for the operation of the controller 180 and may temporarily store input / output data (for example, a phone book, a message, a still image, a video, etc.). The memory unit 160 may store data regarding vibration and sound of various patterns output when a touch input on the touch screen is performed.

The memory unit 160 may include a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a multimedia card micro type, a card type memory (for example, SD or XD memory), At least one of Random Access Memory (RAM), Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), ReadOnly Memory (ROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable ReadOnly Memory (EEPROM), Programmable ReadOnly Memory (PROM) magnetic memory, magnetic disk, and optical disk It may include a storage medium of the type. The wearable electronic device 100 may operate in association with a web storage that performs a storage function of the memory unit 160 on the Internet.

The interface unit 170 serves as a path with all external devices connected to the wearable electronic device 100. The interface unit 170 receives data from an external device or receives power and transmits the data to each component inside the wearable electronic device 100, or transmits the data inside the wearable electronic device 100 to an external device. For example, wired / wireless headset ports, external charger ports, wired / wireless data ports, memory card ports, ports for connecting devices with identification modules, audio input / output (I / O) ports, The video input / output (I / O) port, the earphone port, and the like may be included in the interface unit 170.

The identification module is a chip that stores various information for authenticating the use right of the wearable electronic device 100. The identification module includes a user identification module (UIM), a subscriber identification module (SIM), and a universal user authentication module. (Universal Subscriber Identity Module, USIM) and the like. A device equipped with an identification module (hereinafter referred to as an 'identification device') may be manufactured in the form of a smart card. Therefore, the identification device may be connected to the wearable electronic device 100 through a port.

When the wearable electronic device 100 is connected to an external cradle, the interface unit may be a path through which power from the cradle is supplied to the wearable electronic device 100, or various command signals input from the cradle by a user. It may be a passage that is delivered to the electronic device. Various command signals or power input from the cradle may be operated as signals for recognizing that the electronic device is correctly mounted on the cradle.

The controller 180 typically controls the overall operation of the electronic device. For example, perform related control and processing for voice calls, data communications, video calls, and the like. The controller 180 may include a multimedia module 181 for playing multimedia. The multimedia module 181 may be implemented in the controller 180 or may be implemented separately from the controller 180.

The power supply unit 190 receives an external power source and an internal power source under the control of the controller 180 to supply power for operation of each component.

Various embodiments described herein may be implemented in a recording medium readable by a computer or similar device using, for example, software, hardware or a combination thereof.

According to a hardware implementation, the embodiments described herein include application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and the like. It may be implemented using at least one of processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, and electrical units for performing the functions. 180).

In a software implementation, embodiments such as procedures or functions may be implemented with separate software modules that allow at least one function or operation to be performed. The software code may be implemented by a software application written in a suitable programming language. In addition, the software code may be stored in the memory unit 160 and executed by the controller 180.

2 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an appearance of a wearable electronic device according to embodiments of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the wearable electronic device 100 according to the present invention may include a watch head WH, a first band region BP1 connected to a first side of the watch head WH, and a watch head WH. It may include a second band region (BP2) connected to the second side.

The watch head WH may include various components of the wearable electronic device 100 according to the present invention described with reference to FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 2, the watch head WH may include a touch display area TD and a rim area R. Referring to FIG. The touch display area TD may include the display unit 151 described with reference to FIG. 1.

The first band region BP1 and the second band region BP2 are means for allowing the wearable electronic device 100 to be worn on a part of a user's body (for example, a wrist, forearm, ankle, thigh, etc.). Function as.

For example, the other end of the first band region BP1 (that is, one end other than the one connected to the watch head WH) and the other end of the second band region BP2 (that is, the watchhead One end other than the one connected to the WH) may be connected to each other and fixed to a part of the user's body.

In some embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the first band region BP1 and the second band region BP2 may not be detachably attached to each other, but may be integrally formed with each other. In this case, the first band region BP1 and the second band region BP2 may be made of a material capable of elastic deformation.

The band regions BP1 and BP2 may include the user input unit 130 described above with reference to FIG. 1, in particular, a touch pad or a force direction sensor unit 131. In the wearable electronic device 100 according to the present invention, the touch pad or the force direction sensor unit 131 may be provided in a portion other than the band regions BP1 and BP2 (for example, the rim region). For convenience of explanation, hereinafter, the touch pad or the force direction sensor unit 131 provided in the band regions BP1 and BP2 will be referred to as a band touch sensor.

<Force direction sensor part>

Hereinafter, the force direction sensor unit 131 that can be applied to the electronic device 100 according to some embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 3.

Although already described, in the present invention, the force direction referred to includes shear force acting in a direction parallel to the touch surface, which could not be detected by a conventional touch sensor. That is, the force direction sensor unit 131 may detect the shear force generated on the touch surface by the touch and / or contact when the external object is touched and / or contacted.

The force direction sensor unit 131 according to the present invention may include a sensor array SA configured as a unit sensor for sensing a force direction.

For example, the force direction sensor unit 131 arranges the sensor arrays SA in an area in which the force direction is to be sensed, so that a touch and / or contact with the area where the sensor array SA is disposed occurs. The direction of force of the touch and / or contact (ie, the direction of shear force) can be detected.

That is, the sensor array SA may be disposed in an area to sense the force direction of touch and / or contact. For example, when the wearable electronic device 100 includes a touch screen, a conventional touch It may be used to operate the wearable electronic device 100 by combining an input and a force direction of the corresponding touch, wherein the sensor array SA is an area of the display 151 of the wearable electronic device 100. , The touch screen area), and accordingly, the wearable electronic device 100 may provide information about a touch input that can be obtained from the touch screen and the force direction sensor unit 131 which is an aggregation of the sensor array SA. Combining the force direction information derived from) will be able to be useful in operation in the wearable electronic device (100).

On the other hand, for example, by arranging the sensor array SA in the band areas BP1 and BP2 of the wearable electronic device 100, the force of the touch and / or contact with the band areas BP1 and BP2 is caused. The sensed direction and the sensed information may be usefully used for the operation of the wearable electronic device 100.

On the other hand, for example, by placing the sensor array (SA) in the rim area (R) of the wearable electronic device 100, the detection of the force direction of the touch and / or contact with the rim area (R) The detected information may be usefully used for the operation of the wearable electronic device 100.

The force direction sensor unit 131 may detect various types of information related to a touch and / or a touch operation with respect to a force direction detecting area FDDA determined by an area provided with the sensor array SA. Can be. For example, the force direction sensor unit 131 may be a contact of the external object with respect to the force direction sensing region, the contact position, the strength of the force at the time of contact (that is, the force intensity of touch and / or contact). ) And the direction of the force (ie, the direction of the force of the touch and / or contact).

Each sensor of the sensor array SA included in the force direction sensor unit 131 detects one or more of whether the external object contacts the sensor, a contact position, the strength of the force and the direction of the force. can do.

The information corresponding to one or more of whether the touch point is detected by the force direction sensor unit 131 to one point of the touch area, the contact position, the strength of the force at the time of contact, and the direction of the force may be provided in the controller 180 and / or It may be delivered to a touch event processing module (not shown) provided separately.

The controller 180 and / or the touch event processing module sets a contact area having a predetermined area with respect to a point where a touch and / or a touch is detected in the force direction sensing area, and detects a plurality of areas present in the contact area. By comparing the strength of the force of the point (for example, the point where each unit sensor constituting the sensor array SA) is arranged, the direction of the force applied to the point can be determined. Determination of the force direction by the touch event processing module may be performed as illustrated in FIG. 3. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a process of detecting a direction of a force by using the strength of the force according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, the controller 180 and / or the touch event processing module may determine the direction of the force according to the intensity distribution of the force detected at the plurality of sensing points included in the contact area TA. The direction of the sensing point at which the greatest force intensity is detected based on the center O of the touch area TA may be determined as the force direction.

For example, when a touch and / or contact of the external object OB is made with respect to a point of the force direction sensing region FDDA, the surface of the force direction sensing region FDDA and the external object OB contact. Based on one point, the contact area TA having a predetermined area may be set or extracted. The contact area TA is set to a range of a predetermined area based on a specific coordinate (for example, a center coordinate) of the one point, or a user among a plurality of detection points included in the force direction sensing area FDDA. It can be set by connecting a plurality of adjacent sensing points that detected a contact.

Then, the strengths F1 to F5 of the force detected at the plurality of detection points of the set or extracted contact area TA are detected. The strength of the force may be more detected at the sensing point of the direction in which the user applies the force in the contact area TA.

Therefore, the wearable electronic device 100 according to the present invention is a force applied to the contact area TA with the direction of the detection point having the greatest intensity of force among the plurality of detection points from the center point of the contact area TA. It is detected in the direction FD of.

Accordingly, when the force direction sensor unit 131 is used, the wearable electronic device 100 may touch the external object OB with respect to the force direction sensing region FDDA and / or the touch when the touch occurs. And / or not only the position of the contact, but also the direction in which the shear force is applied in the touch and / or contact position.

On the other hand, in order to measure the strength of the shear force to be described below, it can be measured by using the magnitude of the force at the sensing point of the largest strength of the plurality of sensing points detected from the center point of the contact area (TA). . For example, the magnitude of the force at the point where the strength of the force is greatest can be regarded as the strength of the shear force. For example, the magnitude of the force and the strength of the force at the point where the strength is greatest The difference in the magnitude of the force at the smallest sensing point can be regarded as the strength of the shear force at that point.

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the wearable electronic device according to the present invention will be described using the wearable electronic device 100 described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3.

However, hereinafter, for convenience of description, the embodiments of the control method of the wearable electronic device according to the present invention using the wearable electronic device 100 described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 will be described. The control method of the electronic device according to the present invention is not limited to the wearable electronic device 100 described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. That is, the control method of the wearable electronic device according to the present invention may also be applied to the wearable electronic device that does not include at least a part of the components of the wearable electronic device 100 described with reference to FIGS. In addition, the control method of the electronic device according to the present invention may also be applied to the wearable electronic device having more components than those of the wearable electronic device 100.

In addition, in various embodiments of the control method of the wearable electronic device according to the present invention, the method of sensing the direction of force in addition to the method described with reference to FIG. The control method of the wearable electronic device may be applied. That is, the present invention described below also applies to an electronic device adopting a sensor capable of sensing the direction of force of touch and / or contact by a method other than the method of sensing the shear force on the touch surface described with reference to FIG. 3. The control method of the wearable electronic device may be applied.

<Operation of Wearable Electronics-Control Method of Wearable Electronics>

Hereinafter, an operation of the wearable electronic device (that is, a control method of the wearable electronic device) according to various embodiments of the present disclosure will be described.

#First Example

4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the wearable electronic device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 5 and 6 are reference diagrams for describing an operation of the wearable electronic device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, the wearable electronic device 100 is disposed in the band region and includes a force direction sensor unit that detects a shear force of a contact applied to a point by an external object. Acquire a shear force of the band touch through a band touch sensor (S100), and generate a control signal for executing a corresponding operation based on any one of the obtained attributes of the shear force. It may be (S110).

The properties of the shear force may include at least one or a combination of shear force direction and shear force strength.

The shear force direction means a direction of shear force generated at a point (or region) where a touch is made with respect to the touch surface when a touch is made. Since a method of sensing the direction of the shear force has been described in detail with reference to FIG. 3, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Shear force strength refers to the strength of the force of the shear force generated at the point where the touch is made with respect to the touch surface when the touch is made. Since a method of sensing the strength of the shear force has been described with reference to FIG. 3, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

According to the first embodiment of the present invention, the wearable electronic device 100 may select an operation or function corresponding thereto by using at least one of the shear force properties of the band touch described above.

The wearable electronic device 100 may store attributes of the shear force and an operation or a function corresponding to each of them in the memory 160 in advance.

For example, the wearable electronic device 100 may move the shear force direction toward the watch head WH in the longitudinal direction of the band (first direction, D1), and move away from the watchhead WH in the longitudinal direction of the band. Direction (second direction, D2), in the width direction of the band, assuming that the wearable device 100 is worn on the wrist of the left arm, the direction toward the elbow of the user (third direction, D3) in the width direction of the band, Assuming that the wearable device 100 is worn on the wrist, the memory device 160 may store the operation or function corresponding to each direction in the direction (fourth direction, D4) facing the user's hand in the memory 160 ( See FIG. 5). Of course, instead of defining and using the corresponding operations in four directions, the corresponding operations may be defined by dividing into two directions or six directions.

At this time, the wearable electronic device 100, the position of the touch input is fixed, obtains the direction of the shear force for the position, and selects a function corresponding to each direction. Accordingly, it is very useful when the area that can receive the user's touch input (for example, the area of the touch pad or the touch screen) is very useful for executing the desired action or function based on the user's touch input. Would be suitable.

Although not limited thereto, the most intuitive and useful functions for operating using the aforementioned shear force direction include screen scrolling up and down, page switching, left and right scrolling, moving the cursor up, down, left and right, and increasing or decreasing input values. There will be zoom in and zoom out of the screen.

In this case, the wearable electronic device 100 may provide an additional function to a function corresponding to the shear force direction in consideration of the strength property of the shear force.

For example, if you want to execute the screen scroll up and down function using the shear force direction, the larger the shear force, the faster the screen scroll up and down, and the smaller the shear force, the slower the screen scroll up and down You can do it.

As another example, when the increase or decrease of the input value is to be controlled using the shear force direction, the larger the shear strength, the faster the increase or decrease of the input value, and the smaller the shear force strength, the faster the increase or decrease of the input value It may be slow.

Similarly, shear force may be considered as appropriate for functions to be executed using the shear direction.

Meanwhile, the band touch is sensed by the first band touch sensor sensed through the first band touch sensor disposed in the first band region BP1 and the second band touch sensor disposed in the second band region BP2. It may include a band touch.

In this case, the first band touch and the second band touch may correspond to different operations or different functions even though they have the same shear force property. That is, when the shear force direction of the first band touch with respect to the first band region BP1 is the first direction (that is, the direction toward the watch head WH), when the screen scroll up function is operated, When the shear force direction of the second band touch with respect to the two band regions BP2 is the first direction (that is, the direction toward the watch head WH), the screen scroll down function may be operated.

Alternatively, in the case of the first band touch having the shear force direction in the first direction, the second band touch having the shear force direction in the first direction when the first band touch corresponds to the screen scroll up function. There may be.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 6, the first band touch and the second band touch may be input substantially simultaneously with each other. That is, multiband touch input may be possible.

In such a case, each operation is performed on a pair of the shear force property of the first band touch and the shear force property of the second band touch in consideration of both the shear force properties of the first band touch and the second band touch. Or the function may correspond.

# 2 Example

7 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the wearable electronic device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. 8 is a reference diagram for describing an operation of the wearable electronic device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7, the wearable electronic device 100 determines whether the first band region and the second band region are connected to each other (S200), and the first band region and the second band region are connected to each other. If it is determined that the information is determined, the operation corresponding to the input of the first band touch and / or the second band touch may be performed (S210).

That is, when the wearable electronic device 100 determines that the first band region and the second band region are connected to each other, the first band touch is input only when the first band touch is input only to the first band region BP1. An operation corresponding to may be executed.

Alternatively, when the wearable electronic device 100 determines that the first band region BP1 and the second band region BP2 are connected to each other, the second band touch is input only to the second band region BP2. If so, an operation corresponding to the second band touch may be performed.

Alternatively, when the first band touch and the second band touch are respectively input to the first band region BP1 and the second band region BP2 at substantially the same time (ie, multi When there is a band touch input), an operation corresponding to the first band touch and the second band touch can be performed.

The wearable electronic device 100 according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes a separate connection detecting sensor capable of sensing whether the first band region BP1 and the second band region BP2 are connected. There may be. For example, the connection detecting sensor is not connected to the watch head WH of two ends of the first band region BP1 (that is, two ends of the first band region BP1, and is not connected to the second band). One end connected to the region BP2, or the other end of the second band region BP2 (that is, not connected to the watch head WH among the two ends of the second band region BP2); The first band region BP1 and the second band region BP2 may be connected to the first band region BP1.

Meanwhile, only a part of the connection detection sensor may be disposed at the other end of the first band region BP1, and the other part thereof may be disposed at the other end of the second band region BP2.

The sensing method of the connection detection sensor is an electric type (for example, a method of energizing only when two band regions are connected), a pressure type (for example, a method of sensing pressure that may occur when the two band regions are connected) and Likewise, various methods may be applied.

The wearable electronic device 100 may determine whether the first band region BP1 and the second band region BP2 are connected to each other according to a sensing value received from the connection detection sensor.

When it is determined that the first band region BP1 and the second band region BP2 are connected to each other, the wearable electronic device 100 may determine that the wearable electronic device 100 is worn by the user.

Meanwhile, the wearable electronic device 100 according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes a separate bending sensor capable of sensing whether the first band region BP1 and the second band region BP2 are connected. You may be doing

The bending sensor may be provided in one or both of the first band region BP1 and the second band region BP2.

The bending sensor may sense whether the first band region BP1 and / or the second band region BP2 are in a 'bending state' or a 'flat state'.

In the present specification, the "bending state" means that the band regions BP1 and BP2 are in a bent state so that the band regions BP1 and BP2 are completely worn by the user (FIG. 8). (c)). In addition, the term 'flat state' includes a state in which the band regions BP1 and BP2 are completely extended (FIG. 8A), and the band regions BP1 and BP2 are completely worn by the user. It means that it is slightly bent (FIG. 8 (b)) so that it may be judged that it is not.

That is, the bending sensor according to the present invention can sense the degree to which the band regions are bent, and can determine whether the band regions are 'bending state' or 'flat state' based on a predetermined criterion.

Meanwhile, the aforementioned bending sensor may be implemented by the force direction sensor 131 described with reference to FIG. 3. As described with reference to FIG. 3, the force direction sensor 131 may measure the pressure applied from the surface. When the force direction sensor 131 is disposed in the band regions BP1 and BP2, the band region BP1 may be measured. According to the degree to which the BP2 is bent, the strain applied to the surfaces of the band regions BP1 and BP2 can be sensed through the force direction sensor 131, thereby utilizing the force direction sensor 131. Thus, it is possible to determine whether the band regions BP1 and BP2 are in a 'bending state' or a 'flat state'.

The wearable electronic device 100 may include the first band when at least one of the first band region BP1 and the second band region BP2 is flat based on a sensing value received from the bending sensor. It may be determined that the region BP1 and the second band region BP2 are not connected.

On the other hand, when the first band region BP1 and the second band region BP2 are in a bent state, the wearable electronic device 100 is based on the sensing value received from the bending sensor. It may be determined that BP1 and the second band region BP2 are connected.

On the other hand, referring again to Figure 7, if it is determined that the first band region BP1 and the second band region BP2 are not connected, the wearable electronic device 100 is connected to the first band region BP1. In operation S220, the first band touch input and the second band touch input in the second band region BP2 may be ignored. That is, when the first band region BP1 and the second band region BP2 are not connected to each other, the operation can be simply ignored without executing an operation or function corresponding to the band touch. As a result, the wearable electronic device 100 may be prevented from malfunctioning due to a band touch input not intended by the user.

FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment in which the input band touch is ignored when it is determined that the first band region BP1 and the second band region BP2 are not connected to each other. When the first band region BP1 and the second band region BP2 are not connected to each other, the wearable electronic device 100 may include a first band touch sensor and a first band touch sensor disposed in the first band region BP1. The same effect can be achieved by deactivating the second band touch sensor disposed in the second band region BP2. That is, the wearable electronic device 100 may activate the first band touch sensor and the second band touch sensor only when the first band region BP1 and the second band region BP2 are connected.

The wearable electronic device 100 may perform a band touch position, a band touch duration, and a band touch moving direction in order to perform an operation corresponding to the first band touch and the second band touch. The band touch property including at least one or a combination of the band touch pressure and the band touch shear force direction can be identified.

The band touch position means a point at which a user's band touch is input to the band areas BP1 and BP2. The position of the band touch may include which band region of the first band region BP1 and the second band region BP2 is a touch, and furthermore, the first band region BP1 and / or the second band region. It may be a concept including which position the band touch is within (BP2).

The band touch duration means the time duration of the band touch of the user with respect to the band regions BP1 and BP2. For example, if the band touch starts at the first time point T1 and ends at the second time point T2, the band touch duration may be defined as T2-T1.

The band touch movement direction may mean the movement direction when the position of the band touch is changed on the band areas BP1 and BP2 while the band touch is continued. In the present specification, the direction toward the watch head WH from the band regions BP1 and BP2 is the first direction, the direction away from the watch head WH in the second direction, and the user wears the wearable electronic device 100 to the left arm wrist. If it is assumed that worn, the direction toward the elbow of the user is defined as a third direction, and the direction toward the user's hand as a fourth direction.

The band touch pressure is an attribute that can be defined, in particular, when the band touch sensor is configured as a sensor capable of sensing a pressure of a touch, such as the force direction sensor 131 described with reference to FIG. 3. The magnitude of the force in the direction perpendicular to the touch surface at the position of.

The band touch shear force direction is defined in particular when the band touch sensor is configured as a sensor capable of sensing a shear force on a touch surface of a touch, such as the force direction sensor 131 described with reference to FIG. 3. As a possible property, as described with reference to FIG. 3, it means the direction of the shear force measured at the band touch position while the band touch is held at one point.

The above description is merely illustrative of the technical idea of the present invention, and those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains may make various modifications and changes without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments of the present invention described above may be implemented separately or in combination with each other.

Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are not intended to limit the technical idea of the present invention but to describe the present invention, and the scope of the technical idea of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. The protection scope of the present invention should be interpreted by the following claims, and all technical ideas within the equivalent scope should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention.

Since the embodiments described herein are intended to clearly explain the spirit of the present invention to those skilled in the art, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein, and the present invention. The scope of should be construed to include modifications or variations without departing from the spirit of the invention.
The terminology used herein is a general term that has been widely used as far as possible in view of the functions of the present invention, but may vary according to the intention of a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs, custom or the emergence of a new technology. Can be. In contrast, when a specific term is defined and used in any meaning, the meaning of the term will be described separately. Therefore, the terms used in the present specification should be interpreted based on the actual meaning of the terms and the contents throughout the present specification, rather than simple names of the terms.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The drawings attached to the present specification are provided to easily explain the present invention, and the shapes shown in the drawings may be exaggerated and displayed as necessary to help the present invention.
In the present specification, when it is determined that a detailed description of a known configuration or function related to the present invention may obscure the gist of the present invention, a detailed description thereof will be omitted as necessary.
According to an aspect of the invention, the display portion (display portion); A band portion connected to the display unit and providing a mechanism for allowing the wearable electronic device to be worn on a user's wrist; A band touch sensor disposed in the band region and having a force direction sensor unit detecting a shear force of a contact applied to a point by an external object; And a control unit for acquiring a shear force of a band touch input to the band touch sensor from the band touch sensor and generating a control signal for executing a corresponding operation based on any one of the obtained attributes of the shear force. Wearable electronic devices including; may be provided.
The properties of the shear force may include at least one of a shear force direction and shear force strength or a combination thereof.
The band region may include a first band region connected to a first side of the display unit and a second band region connected to a second side of the display unit, wherein the band touch sensor is disposed in the first band region. It may include a first band touch sensor and a second band touch sensor disposed in the second band region.
The control unit may receive a first band touch through the first band touch sensor, receive a second band touch through the second band touch sensor, any one of the shear force properties of the first band touch, and The control signal for executing a corresponding operation may be generated based on any one of the shear force properties of the second band touch.
According to another aspect of the invention, a display portion (first band portion) connected to the first side of the display portion; A second band portion connected to the second side of the display unit; A first band touch sensor disposed in the first band region and receiving a first band touch; A second band touch sensor disposed in the second band region and receiving a second band touch; And determining whether the first band region and the second band region are connected to each other, and when determining that the first band region and the second band region are connected to each other, the first band touch sensor and the second band. Based on the first band touch and the second band touch input through the touch sensor, perform an operation corresponding to the first band touch, or perform an operation corresponding to the second band touch, or The wearable electronic device may include a controller configured to generate a control signal for executing an operation corresponding to a combination of the first band touch and the second band touch.
The control unit may be sensed through a connection detection sensor provided in at least one of one end of the first band region connected to the second band region and one end of the second band region connected to the first band region. Based on the value, it may be determined that the first band region and the second band region are connected to each other.
At least one of the first band touch sensor and the second band touch sensor may sense whether at least one of the first band area and the second band area is a flat state or a bending state. It may be characterized by further comprising a bending sensor.
The controller is further configured to connect the first band region and the second band region when at least one of the first band region and the second band region is in a flat state based on the sensing value received from the bending sensor. It may be characterized by the fact that it did not.
The controller determines that the first band region and the second band region are connected when the first band region and the second band region are in a bending state based on the sensing value received from the bending sensor. It can be characterized.
The controller, when it is determined that the first band region and the second band region are not connected to each other, the first band touch and the second band touch sensor input through the first band touch sensor and the second band touch sensor. It can be characterized by ignoring the band touch.
The controller may be configured to deactivate the first band touch sensor and the second band touch sensor when it is determined that the first band area and the second band area do not correspond to each other.
The first band touch and the second band touch may be a band touch position, a band touch duration time, a band touch moving direction, a band touch pressure, and a band touch shear force direction. It may have an attribute including at least one or a combination thereof.
The controller may use at least one of the attributes of the first band touch to identify an operation corresponding to the first band touch.
The controller may use at least one of the attributes of the second band touch to identify an operation corresponding to the second band touch.
The controller may use a combination of at least one of the attributes of the first band touch and at least one of the attributes of the second band touch to identify an operation corresponding to the first band touch and the second band touch. It may be characterized by.
Hereinafter, a schematic description of the configuration of the wearable electronic device according to some embodiments of the present invention will be described first, and then, the operation of the wearable electronic device according to the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.
<Configuration of Wearable Electronics>
1 is a block diagram of a wearable electronic device according to embodiments of the present invention.
The wearable electronic device 100 may include a wireless communication unit 110, an A / V input unit 120, a user input unit 130, a sensing unit 140, an output unit 150, and a memory unit 160. , An interface unit 170, a controller 180, and a power supply unit 190 may be included. Since the components shown in FIG. 1 are not essential, wearable electronics having more or fewer components may be implemented.
Hereinafter, the components will be described in order.
The wireless communication unit 110 may include one or more modules that enable wireless communication between the wearable electronic device 100 and the wireless communication system or between a network in which the wearable electronic device 100 and the wearable electronic device 100 are located. . For example, the wireless communication unit 110 may include a broadcast receiving module 111, a mobile communication module 112, a wireless internet module 113, a short range communication module 114, a location information module 115, and the like. .
The broadcast receiving module 111 receives a broadcast signal and / or broadcast related information from an external broadcast management server through a broadcast channel.
The broadcast channel may include a satellite channel and a terrestrial channel. The broadcast management server may mean a server that generates and transmits a broadcast signal and / or broadcast related information or a server that receives a previously generated broadcast signal and / or broadcast related information and transmits the same to a terminal. The broadcast signal may include not only a TV broadcast signal, a radio broadcast signal, and a data broadcast signal, but also a broadcast signal having a data broadcast signal combined with a TV broadcast signal or a radio broadcast signal.
The broadcast related information may mean information related to a broadcast channel, a broadcast program, or a broadcast service provider. The broadcast related information may also be provided through a mobile communication network. In this case, it may be received by the mobile communication module 112.
The broadcast related information may exist in various forms. For example, it may exist in the form of Electronic Program Guide (EPG) of Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) or Electronic Service Guide (ESG) of Digital Video BroadcastHandheld (DVBH).
The broadcast receiving module 111 receives a broadcast signal using various broadcasting systems, and in particular, Digital Multimedia Broadcasting Terrestrial (DMBT), Digital Multimedia Broadcasting Satellite (DMBS), Media Forward Link Only (MediaFLO), and Digital Video BroadcastHandheld (DVBH). ), A digital broadcast signal can be received using a digital broadcast system such as Integrated Services Digital Broadcast Terrestrial (ISDBT). Of course, the broadcast receiving module 111 may be configured to be suitable for not only the above-described digital broadcast system but also other broadcast system for providing a broadcast signal.
The broadcast signal and / or broadcast related information received through the broadcast receiving module 111 may be stored in the memory unit 160.
The mobile communication module 112 transmits and receives a wireless signal with at least one of a base station, an external terminal, and a server on a mobile communication network. The wireless signal may include various types of data according to transmission and reception of a voice call signal, a video call call signal, or a text / multimedia message.
The wireless internet module 113 refers to a module for wireless internet access, and the wireless internet module 113 may be built in or external to the wearable electronic device 100. Wireless Internet technologies may include Wireless LAN (WiFi), Wireless Broadband (Wibro), World Interoperability for Microwave Access (Wimax), High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), and the like.
The short range communication module 114 refers to a module for short range communication. As a short range communication technology, Bluetooth, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), infrared data association (IrDA), Ultra Wideband (UWB), ZigBee, WiHD, WiGig, and the like may be used.
The location information module 115 is a module for checking or obtaining the location of the electronic device. A representative example of the location information module is a GPS (Global Position System) module. According to the current technology, the GPS module 115 calculates information about a distance of one point (object) away from three or more satellites, and information on a time at which the distance information is measured, and then calculates the calculated distance information. By applying the trigonometric method to, three-dimensional positional information according to latitude, longitude, and altitude of one point (object) at one time can be calculated. Furthermore, a method of calculating position and time information using three satellites and correcting the error of the calculated position and time information using another satellite is also used. The GPS module 115 may continuously calculate the current position in real time and use the same to calculate speed information.
Referring to FIG. 1, the A / V input unit 120 is for inputting an audio signal or a video signal, and may include a camera 121 and a microphone 122. The camera 121 processes image frames such as still images or moving images obtained by the image sensor in the video call mode or the photographing mode. The processed image frame may be displayed on the display unit 151.
The image frame processed by the camera 121 may be stored in the memory unit 160 or transmitted to the outside through the wireless communication unit 110. Two or more cameras 121 may be provided according to the configuration aspect of the wearable wearable electronic device 100.
The microphone 122 receives an external sound signal by a microphone in a call mode, a recording mode, a voice recognition mode, etc., and processes the external sound signal into electrical voice data. The processed voice data may be converted into a form transmittable to the mobile communication base station through the mobile communication module 112 and output in the call mode. The microphone 122 may implement various noise removing algorithms for removing noise generated in the process of receiving an external sound signal.
The user input unit 130 generates input data for the user to control the operation of the wearable wearable electronic device 100. The user input unit 130 may include a key pad dome switch, a touch pad (static pressure / capacitance), a jog wheel, a jog switch, and the like.
Meanwhile, the user input unit 130 may include a force direction sensor unit 131 capable of detecting a force direction of a touch and / or contact. The force direction sensor unit 131 detects the position of the touch and / or contact, which may be implemented by a general touch screen and / or touch pad, in particular, the force direction of the touch and / or contact. It may be a means for further sensing.
In the present invention, the term "force direction" refers to a concept that includes a shear force acting in a direction parallel to the touch surface, which cannot be detected by a conventional touch sensor. That is, the force direction sensor unit 131 according to an embodiment of the present invention may detect not only a force direction in a vertical direction with respect to the touch surface but also a direction of shear force acting in parallel with the touch surface.
The force direction sensor unit 131 may be manufactured in an integral form with respect to a conventional touch screen and configured to sense a touch and / or a touch on the touch screen, or a display of a wearable electronic device according to the present invention. It may be provided separately on the whole or part of the outer rim surrounding the part 151, and may be configured to detect a touch and / or contact with the rim. A detailed operation of the force direction sensor unit 131 will be described later.
The sensing unit 140 detects the current state of the wearable electronic device 100 such as the position of the wearable electronic device 100, presence or absence of user contact, orientation of the electronic device, acceleration / deceleration of the wearable electronic device 100, and the like. A sensing signal for controlling the operation of the device 100 is generated. In addition, it may be responsible for sensing functions related to whether the power supply unit 190 is supplied with power, whether the interface unit 170 is coupled to an external device, and the like. Meanwhile, the sensing unit 140 may include an attitude sensor 141 and / or a proximity sensor 142. In addition, the sensing unit 140 may include a biosensor capable of measuring various bio signals of a user. On the other hand, the sensing unit 140 may include a connection detection sensor for determining whether or not the wearable electronic device 100 is worn by the user. In addition, the sensing unit 140 may include a bending sensor that may determine whether the band regions BP1 and BP2 of the wearable electronic device 100 are in a bending state or a flat state. If the force direction sensor described below with reference to FIG. 3 is provided in the band region, the force direction sensor may function as a bending sensor.
The output unit 150 is used to generate an output related to sight, hearing, or tactile sense, and includes a display unit 151, an audio output module 152, an alarm unit 153, and a haptic module 154. Can be.
The display unit 151 displays and outputs information processed by the wearable electronic device 100. For example, when the electronic device is in a call mode, the electronic device displays a user interface (UI) or a graphic user interface (GUI) related to the call. When the wearable electronic device 100 is in a video call mode or a photographing mode, the wearable electronic device 100 displays a photographed and / or received image, a UI, or a GUI.
The display unit 151 may be a liquid crystal display, a thin film transistor liquid crystal display, an organic light emitting diode, a flexible display, or a 3D display. It may include at least one.
Two or more display units 151 may exist according to the implementation form of the wearable electronic device 100. For example, in the wearable electronic device 100, a plurality of display units may be spaced apart from or integrally disposed on one surface, or may be disposed on different surfaces. Alternatively, the display unit 151 may be logically divided into two or more areas.
When the display unit 151 and a sensor for detecting a touch operation (hereinafter, referred to as a touch sensor) form a mutual layer structure (hereinafter, abbreviated as “touch screen”), the display unit 151 is an output device. It can also be used as an input device. The touch sensor may have, for example, a form of a touch film, a touch sheet, a touch pad, or the like.
The touch sensor may be configured to convert a change in pressure applied to a specific portion of the display unit 151 or capacitance generated in a specific portion of the display unit 151 into an electrical input signal.
If there is a touch input to the touch sensor, the corresponding signal (s) is sent to the touch controller. The touch controller processes the signal (s) and then transmits the corresponding data to the controller 180. As a result, the controller 180 can know which area of the display unit 151 is touched.
Referring to FIG. 1, a proximity sensor 142 may be disposed near an inner region of the electronic device wrapped by the touch screen or near the touch screen. The proximity sensor 142 refers to a sensor that detects the presence or absence of an object approaching a predetermined detection surface or an object present in the vicinity thereof without a mechanical contact by using an electromagnetic force or infrared rays. The proximity sensor 142 has a longer life and higher utilization than a contact sensor.
Examples of the proximity sensor 142 include a transmission photoelectric sensor, a direct reflection photoelectric sensor, a mirror reflection photoelectric sensor, a high frequency oscillation proximity sensor, a capacitive proximity sensor, a magnetic proximity sensor, and an infrared proximity sensor.
When the touch screen is capacitive, the touch screen is configured to detect the proximity of the pointer by the change of the electric field according to the proximity of the pointer. In this case, the touch screen (touch sensor) may be classified as a proximity sensor.
Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the act of allowing the pointer to be recognized without being in contact with the touch screen so that the pointer is located on the touch screen is referred to as a "proximity touch", and the touch The act of actually touching the pointer on the screen is called "contact touch." The position where the proximity touch is performed by the pointer on the touch screen refers to a position where the pointer is perpendicular to the touch screen when the pointer is in proximity proximity. However, when the touch does not need to be distinguished from the proximity touch and the touch touch, the term “touch” or “touch input” includes both an input by a proximity touch and an input by a touch touch.
The proximity sensor 142 detects a proximity touch and a proximity touch pattern (for example, a proximity touch distance, a proximity touch direction, a proximity touch speed, a proximity touch time, a proximity touch position, and a proximity touch movement state). Information corresponding to the sensed proximity touch operation and proximity touch pattern may be output on the touch screen.
The sound output module 152 may output audio data received from the wireless communication unit 110 or stored in the memory unit 160 in a call signal reception, a call mode or a recording mode, a voice recognition mode, a broadcast reception mode, and the like. The sound output module 152 outputs a sound signal related to a function (eg, a call signal reception sound, a message reception sound, etc.) performed by the wearable electronic device 100. The sound output module 152 may include a receiver, a speaker, a buzzer, and the like.
The alarm unit 153 outputs a signal for notifying occurrence of an event of the wearable electronic device 100. Examples of events occurring in electronic devices include call signal reception, message reception, key signal input, and touch input. The alarm unit 153 may output a signal for notifying occurrence of an event in a form other than a video signal or an audio signal, for example, vibration. The video signal or the audio signal may also be output through the display unit 151 or the audio output module 152.
The haptic module 154 generates various haptic effects that a user can feel. Vibration is a representative example of the haptic effect generated by the haptic module 154. The intensity and pattern of vibration generated by the haptic module 154 can be controlled. For example, different vibrations may be synthesized and output or may be sequentially output.
In addition to the vibration, the haptic module 154 may be used for the effects of stimulation by the arrangement of pins vertically moving with respect to the contact skin surface, the effect of the injection force of the air through the injection or inlet or the stimulation through the suction force, and the stimulation that rubs the skin surface. Various tactile effects may be generated, such as effects by stimulation through contact of electrodes, effects by stimulation using electrostatic force, and effects of reproducing a sense of warmth and heat using an endothermic or heat generating element.
The haptic module 154 may not only deliver the haptic effect through direct contact, but also implement the haptic effect through the muscle sense of the user's finger or arm. Two or more haptic modules 154 may be provided according to a configuration aspect of the wearable electronic device 100.
The memory unit 160 may store a program for the operation of the controller 180 and may temporarily store input / output data (for example, a phone book, a message, a still image, a video, etc.). The memory unit 160 may store data regarding vibration and sound of various patterns output when a touch input on the touch screen is performed.
The memory unit 160 may include a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a multimedia card micro type, a card type memory (for example, SD or XD memory), At least one of Random Access Memory (RAM), Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), ReadOnly Memory (ROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable ReadOnly Memory (EEPROM), Programmable ReadOnly Memory (PROM) magnetic memory, magnetic disk, and optical disk It may include a storage medium of the type. The wearable electronic device 100 may operate in association with a web storage that performs a storage function of the memory unit 160 on the Internet.
The interface unit 170 serves as a path with all external devices connected to the wearable electronic device 100. The interface unit 170 receives data from an external device or receives power and transmits the data to each component inside the wearable electronic device 100, or transmits the data inside the wearable electronic device 100 to an external device. For example, wired / wireless headset ports, external charger ports, wired / wireless data ports, memory card ports, ports for connecting devices with identification modules, audio input / output (I / O) ports, The video input / output (I / O) port, the earphone port, and the like may be included in the interface unit 170.
The identification module is a chip that stores various information for authenticating the use right of the wearable electronic device 100. The identification module includes a user identification module (UIM), a subscriber identification module (SIM), and a universal user authentication module. (Universal Subscriber Identity Module, USIM) and the like. A device equipped with an identification module (hereinafter referred to as an 'identification device') may be manufactured in the form of a smart card. Therefore, the identification device may be connected to the wearable electronic device 100 through a port.
When the wearable electronic device 100 is connected to an external cradle, the interface unit may be a path through which power from the cradle is supplied to the wearable electronic device 100, or various command signals input from the cradle by a user. It may be a passage that is delivered to the electronic device. Various command signals or power input from the cradle may be operated as signals for recognizing that the electronic device is correctly mounted on the cradle.
The controller 180 typically controls the overall operation of the electronic device. For example, perform related control and processing for voice calls, data communications, video calls, and the like. The controller 180 may include a multimedia module 181 for playing multimedia. The multimedia module 181 may be implemented in the controller 180 or may be implemented separately from the controller 180.
The power supply unit 190 receives an external power source and an internal power source under the control of the controller 180 to supply power for operation of each component.
Various embodiments described herein may be implemented in a recording medium readable by a computer or similar device using, for example, software, hardware or a combination thereof.
According to a hardware implementation, the embodiments described herein include application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and the like. It may be implemented using at least one of processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, and electrical units for performing the functions. 180).
In a software implementation, embodiments such as procedures or functions may be implemented with separate software modules that allow at least one function or operation to be performed. The software code may be implemented by a software application written in a suitable programming language. In addition, the software code may be stored in the memory unit 160 and executed by the controller 180.
2 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an appearance of a wearable electronic device according to embodiments of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 2, the wearable electronic device 100 according to the present invention may include a watch head WH, a first band region BP1 connected to a first side of the watch head WH, and a watch head WH. It may include a second band region (BP2) connected to the second side.
The watch head WH may include various components of the wearable electronic device 100 according to the present invention described with reference to FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 2, the watch head WH may include a touch display area TD and a rim area R. Referring to FIG. The touch display area TD may include the display unit 151 described with reference to FIG. 1.
The first band region BP1 and the second band region BP2 are means for allowing the wearable electronic device 100 to be worn on a part of a user's body (for example, a wrist, forearm, ankle, thigh, etc.). Function as.
For example, the other end of the first band region BP1 (that is, one end other than the one connected to the watch head WH) and the other end of the second band region BP2 (that is, the watchhead One end other than the one connected to the WH) may be connected to each other and fixed to a part of the user's body.
In some embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the first band region BP1 and the second band region BP2 may not be detachably attached to each other, but may be integrally formed with each other. In this case, the first band region BP1 and the second band region BP2 may be made of a material capable of elastic deformation.
The band regions BP1 and BP2 may include the user input unit 130 described above with reference to FIG. 1, in particular, a touch pad or a force direction sensor unit 131. In the wearable electronic device 100 according to the present invention, the touch pad or the force direction sensor unit 131 may be provided in a portion other than the band regions BP1 and BP2 (for example, the rim region). For convenience of explanation, hereinafter, the touch pad or the force direction sensor unit 131 provided in the band regions BP1 and BP2 will be referred to as a band touch sensor.
<Force direction sensor part>
Hereinafter, the force direction sensor unit 131 that can be applied to the electronic device 100 according to some embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 3.
Although already described, in the present invention, the force direction referred to includes shear force acting in a direction parallel to the touch surface, which could not be detected by a conventional touch sensor. That is, the force direction sensor unit 131 may detect the shear force generated on the touch surface by the touch and / or contact when the external object is touched and / or contacted.
The force direction sensor unit 131 according to the present invention may include a sensor array SA configured as a unit sensor for sensing a force direction.
For example, the force direction sensor unit 131 arranges the sensor arrays SA in an area in which the force direction is to be sensed, so that a touch and / or contact with the area where the sensor array SA is disposed occurs. The direction of force of the touch and / or contact (ie, the direction of shear force) can be detected.
That is, the sensor array SA may be disposed in an area to sense the force direction of touch and / or contact. For example, when the wearable electronic device 100 includes a touch screen, a conventional touch It may be used to operate the wearable electronic device 100 by combining an input and a force direction of the corresponding touch, wherein the sensor array SA is an area of the display 151 of the wearable electronic device 100. , The touch screen area), and accordingly, the wearable electronic device 100 may provide information about a touch input that can be obtained from the touch screen and the force direction sensor unit 131 which is an aggregation of the sensor array SA. Combining the force direction information derived from) will be able to be useful in operation in the wearable electronic device (100).
On the other hand, for example, by arranging the sensor array SA in the band areas BP1 and BP2 of the wearable electronic device 100, the force of the touch and / or contact with the band areas BP1 and BP2 is caused. The sensed direction and the sensed information may be usefully used for the operation of the wearable electronic device 100.
On the other hand, for example, by placing the sensor array (SA) in the rim area (R) of the wearable electronic device 100, the detection of the force direction of the touch and / or contact with the rim area (R) The detected information may be usefully used for the operation of the wearable electronic device 100.
The force direction sensor unit 131 may detect various types of information related to a touch and / or a touch operation with respect to a force direction detecting area FDDA determined by an area provided with the sensor array SA. Can be. For example, the force direction sensor unit 131 may be a contact of the external object with respect to the force direction sensing region, the contact position, the strength of the force at the time of contact (that is, the force intensity of touch and / or contact). ) And the direction of the force (ie, the direction of the force of the touch and / or contact).
Each sensor of the sensor array SA included in the force direction sensor unit 131 detects one or more of whether the external object contacts the sensor, a contact position, the strength of the force and the direction of the force. can do.
The information corresponding to one or more of whether the touch point is detected by the force direction sensor unit 131 to one point of the touch area, the contact position, the strength of the force at the time of contact, and the direction of the force may be provided in the controller 180 and / or It may be delivered to a touch event processing module (not shown) provided separately.
The controller 180 and / or the touch event processing module sets a contact area having a predetermined area with respect to a point where a touch and / or a touch is detected in the force direction sensing area, and detects a plurality of areas present in the contact area. By comparing the strength of the force of the point (for example, the point where each unit sensor constituting the sensor array SA) is arranged, the direction of the force applied to the point can be determined. Determination of the force direction by the touch event processing module may be performed as illustrated in FIG. 3. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a process of detecting a direction of a force by using the strength of the force according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 3, the controller 180 and / or the touch event processing module may determine the direction of the force according to the intensity distribution of the force detected at the plurality of sensing points included in the contact area TA. The direction of the sensing point at which the greatest force intensity is detected based on the center O of the touch area TA may be determined as the force direction.
For example, when a touch and / or contact of the external object OB is made with respect to a point of the force direction sensing region FDDA, the surface of the force direction sensing region FDDA and the external object OB contact. A contact area TA having a predetermined area may be set or extracted based on a point. The contact area TA is set to a range of a predetermined area based on a specific coordinate (for example, a center coordinate) of the one point, or a user among a plurality of detection points included in the force direction sensing area FDDA. It can be set by connecting a plurality of adjacent sensing points that detected a contact.
Then, the strengths F1 to F5 of the force detected at the plurality of detection points of the set or extracted contact area TA are detected. The strength of the force may be more detected at the sensing point of the direction in which the user applies the force in the contact area TA.
Therefore, the wearable electronic device 100 according to the present invention is a force applied to the contact area TA with the direction of the detection point having the greatest intensity of force among the plurality of detection points from the center point of the contact area TA. It is detected in the direction FD of.
Accordingly, when the force direction sensor unit 131 is used, the wearable electronic device 100 may touch the external object OB with respect to the force direction sensing region FDDA and / or the touch when the touch occurs. And / or not only the position of the contact, but also the direction in which the shear force is applied in the touch and / or contact position.
On the other hand, in order to measure the strength of the shear force to be described below, it can be measured by using the magnitude of the force at the sensing point of the largest strength of the plurality of sensing points detected from the center point of the contact area (TA). . For example, the magnitude of the force at the point where the strength of the force is greatest can be regarded as the strength of the shear force. For example, the magnitude of the force and the strength of the force at the point where the strength is greatest The difference in the magnitude of the force at the smallest sensing point can be regarded as the strength of the shear force at that point.
Hereinafter, various embodiments of the wearable electronic device according to the present invention will be described using the wearable electronic device 100 described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3.
However, hereinafter, for convenience of description, the embodiments of the control method of the wearable electronic device according to the present invention using the wearable electronic device 100 described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 will be described. The control method of the electronic device according to the present invention is not limited to the wearable electronic device 100 described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. That is, the control method of the wearable electronic device according to the present invention may also be applied to the wearable electronic device that does not include at least a part of the components of the wearable electronic device 100 described with reference to FIGS. In addition, the control method of the electronic device according to the present invention may also be applied to the wearable electronic device having more components than those of the wearable electronic device 100.
In addition, in various embodiments of the control method of the wearable electronic device according to the present invention, the method of sensing the direction of force in addition to the method described with reference to FIG. The control method of the wearable electronic device may be applied. That is, the present invention described below also applies to an electronic device adopting a sensor capable of sensing the direction of force of touch and / or contact by a method other than the method of sensing the shear force on the touch surface described with reference to FIG. 3. The control method of the wearable electronic device may be applied.
<Operation of Wearable Electronics-Control Method of Wearable Electronics>
Hereinafter, an operation of the wearable electronic device (that is, a control method of the wearable electronic device) according to various embodiments of the present disclosure will be described.
#First Example
4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the wearable electronic device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 5 and 6 are reference diagrams for describing an operation of the wearable electronic device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 4, the wearable electronic device 100 is disposed in the band region and includes a force direction sensor unit that detects a shear force of a contact applied to a point by an external object. Acquire a shear force of the band touch through a band touch sensor (S100), and generate a control signal for executing a corresponding operation based on any one of the obtained attributes of the shear force. It may be (S110).
The properties of the shear force may include at least one or a combination of shear force direction and shear force strength.
The shear force direction means a direction of shear force generated at a point (or region) where a touch is made with respect to the touch surface when a touch is made. Since a method of sensing the direction of the shear force has been described in detail with reference to FIG. 3, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.
Shear force strength refers to the strength of the force of the shear force generated at the point where the touch is made with respect to the touch surface when the touch is made. Since a method of sensing the strength of the shear force has been described with reference to FIG. 3, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.
According to the first embodiment of the present invention, the wearable electronic device 100 may select an operation or function corresponding thereto by using at least one of the shear force properties of the band touch described above.
The wearable electronic device 100 may store attributes of the shear force and an operation or a function corresponding to each of them in the memory 160 in advance.
For example, the wearable electronic device 100 may move the shear force direction toward the watch head WH in the longitudinal direction of the band (first direction, D1), and move away from the watchhead WH in the longitudinal direction of the band. Direction (second direction, D2), in the width direction of the band, assuming that the wearable device 100 is worn on the wrist of the left arm, the direction toward the elbow of the user (third direction, D3) in the width direction of the band, Assuming that the wearable device 100 is worn on the wrist, the memory device 160 may store the operation or function corresponding to each direction in the direction (fourth direction, D4) facing the user's hand in the memory 160 ( See FIG. 5). Of course, instead of defining and using the corresponding operations in four directions, the corresponding operations may be defined by dividing into two directions or six directions.
At this time, the wearable electronic device 100, the position of the touch input is fixed, obtains the direction of the shear force for the position, and selects a function corresponding to each direction. Accordingly, it is very useful when the area that can receive the user's touch input (for example, the area of the touch pad or the touch screen) is very useful for executing the desired action or function based on the user's touch input. Would be suitable.
Although not limited thereto, the most intuitive and useful functions for operating using the aforementioned shear force direction include screen scrolling up and down, page switching, left and right scrolling, moving the cursor up, down, left and right, and increasing or decreasing input values. There will be zoom in and zoom out of the screen.
In this case, the wearable electronic device 100 may provide an additional function to a function corresponding to the shear force direction in consideration of the strength property of the shear force.
For example, if you want to execute the screen scroll up and down function using the shear force direction, the larger the shear force, the faster the screen scroll up and down, and the smaller the shear force, the slower the screen scroll up and down You can do it.
As another example, when the increase or decrease of the input value is to be controlled using the shear force direction, the larger the shear strength, the faster the increase or decrease of the input value, and the smaller the shear force strength, the faster the increase or decrease of the input value It may be slow.
Similarly, shear force may be considered as appropriate for functions to be executed using the shear direction.
Meanwhile, the band touch is sensed by the first band touch sensor sensed through the first band touch sensor disposed in the first band region BP1 and the second band touch sensor disposed in the second band region BP2. It may include a band touch.
In this case, the first band touch and the second band touch may correspond to different operations or different functions even though they have the same shear force property. That is, when the shear force direction of the first band touch with respect to the first band region BP1 is the first direction (that is, the direction toward the watch head WH), when the screen scroll up function is operated, When the shear force direction of the second band touch with respect to the two band regions BP2 is the first direction (that is, the direction toward the watch head WH), the screen scroll down function may be operated.
Alternatively, in the case of the first band touch having the shear force direction in the first direction, the second band touch having the shear force direction in the first direction when the first band touch corresponds to the screen scroll up function. There may be.
Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 6, the first band touch and the second band touch may be input substantially simultaneously with each other. That is, multiband touch input may be possible.
In such a case, each operation is performed on a pair of the shear force property of the first band touch and the shear force property of the second band touch in consideration of both the shear force properties of the first band touch and the second band touch. Or the function may correspond.
# 2 Example
7 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the wearable electronic device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. 8 is a reference diagram for describing an operation of the wearable electronic device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 7, the wearable electronic device 100 determines whether the first band region and the second band region are connected to each other (S200), and the first band region and the second band region are connected to each other. If it is determined that the information is determined, the operation corresponding to the input of the first band touch and / or the second band touch may be performed (S210).
That is, when the wearable electronic device 100 determines that the first band region and the second band region are connected to each other, the first band touch is input only when the first band touch is input only to the first band region BP1. An operation corresponding to may be executed.
Alternatively, when the wearable electronic device 100 determines that the first band region BP1 and the second band region BP2 are connected to each other, the second band touch is input only to the second band region BP2. If so, an operation corresponding to the second band touch may be executed.
Alternatively, when the first band touch and the second band touch are respectively input to the first band region BP1 and the second band region BP2 at substantially the same time (ie, multi When there is a band touch input), an operation corresponding to the first band touch and the second band touch can be performed.
The wearable electronic device 100 according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes a separate connection detecting sensor capable of sensing whether the first band region BP1 and the second band region BP2 are connected. There may be. For example, the connection detecting sensor is not connected to the watch head WH of two ends of the first band region BP1 (that is, two ends of the first band region BP1, and is not connected to the second band). One end connected to the region BP2, or the other end of the second band region BP2 (that is, not connected to the watch head WH among the two ends of the second band region BP2); The first band region BP1 and the second band region BP2 may be connected to the first band region BP1 to determine whether the first band region BP1 and the second band region BP2 are connected to each other.
Meanwhile, only a part of the connection detection sensor may be disposed at the other end of the first band region BP1, and the other part thereof may be disposed at the other end of the second band region BP2.
The sensing method of the connection sensor is electric (for example, a method of energizing only when the two band region is connected), pressure (for example, a method for sensing the pressure that can occur when the two band region is connected) and Likewise, various methods may be applied.
The wearable electronic device 100 may determine whether the first band region BP1 and the second band region BP2 are connected to each other according to a sensing value received from the connection detection sensor.
When it is determined that the first band region BP1 and the second band region BP2 are connected to each other, the wearable electronic device 100 may determine that the wearable electronic device 100 is worn by the user.
Meanwhile, the wearable electronic device 100 according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes a separate bending sensor capable of sensing whether the first band region BP1 and the second band region BP2 are connected. You may be doing
The bending sensor may be provided in one or both of the first band region BP1 and the second band region BP2.
The bending sensor may sense whether the first band region BP1 and / or the second band region BP2 are in a 'bending state' or a 'flat state'.
In the present specification, the "bending state" means that the band areas BP1 and BP2 are in a bent state so that the band areas BP1 and BP2 are completely worn by the user (FIG. 8). (c)). In addition, the term 'flat state' includes a state in which the band regions BP1 and BP2 are completely extended (FIG. 8A), and the band regions BP1 and BP2 are completely worn by the user. It means that it is slightly bent (FIG. 8 (b)) so that it may be judged that it is not.
That is, the bending sensor according to the present invention can sense the degree to which the band regions are bent, and can determine whether the band regions are 'bending state' or 'flat state' based on a predetermined criterion.
Meanwhile, the aforementioned bending sensor may be implemented by the force direction sensor 131 described with reference to FIG. 3. As described with reference to FIG. 3, the force direction sensor 131 may measure the pressure applied from the surface. When the force direction sensor 131 is disposed in the band regions BP1 and BP2, the band region BP1 may be measured. According to the degree to which the BP2 is bent, the strain applied to the surfaces of the band regions BP1 and BP2 can be sensed through the force direction sensor 131, thereby utilizing the force direction sensor 131. Thus, it is possible to determine whether the band regions BP1 and BP2 are in a 'bending state' or a 'flat state'.
The wearable electronic device 100 may include the first band when at least one of the first band region BP1 and the second band region BP2 is flat based on a sensing value received from the bending sensor. It may be determined that the region BP1 and the second band region BP2 are not connected.
On the other hand, when the first band region BP1 and the second band region BP2 are in a bent state, the wearable electronic device 100 is based on the sensing value received from the bending sensor. It may be determined that BP1 and the second band region BP2 are connected.
On the other hand, referring again to Figure 7, if it is determined that the first band region BP1 and the second band region BP2 are not connected, the wearable electronic device 100 is connected to the first band region BP1. In operation S220, the first band touch input and the second band touch input in the second band region BP2 may be ignored. That is, when the first band region BP1 and the second band region BP2 are not connected to each other, the operation can be simply ignored without executing an operation or function corresponding to the band touch. As a result, the wearable electronic device 100 may be prevented from malfunctioning due to a band touch input not intended by the user.
FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment in which the input band touch is ignored when it is determined that the first band region BP1 and the second band region BP2 are not connected to each other. When the first band region BP1 and the second band region BP2 are not connected to each other, the wearable electronic device 100 may include a first band touch sensor and a first band touch sensor disposed in the first band region BP1. The same effect can be achieved by deactivating the second band touch sensor disposed in the second band region BP2. That is, the wearable electronic device 100 may activate the first band touch sensor and the second band touch sensor only when the first band region BP1 and the second band region BP2 are connected.
The wearable electronic device 100 may perform a band touch position, a band touch duration, and a band touch moving direction in order to perform an operation corresponding to the first band touch and the second band touch. The band touch property including at least one or a combination of the band touch pressure and the band touch shear force direction can be identified.
The band touch position means a point at which a user's band touch is input to the band areas BP1 and BP2. The position of the band touch may include which band region of the first band region BP1 and the second band region BP2 is a touch, and furthermore, the first band region BP1 and / or the second band region. It may be a concept including which position is a band touch within (BP2).
The band touch duration means the time duration of the band touch of the user with respect to the band regions BP1 and BP2. For example, if the band touch starts at the first time point T1 and ends at the second time point T2, the band touch duration may be defined as T2-T1.
The band touch movement direction may mean the movement direction when the position of the band touch is changed on the band areas BP1 and BP2 while the band touch is continued. In the present specification, the direction toward the watch head WH from the band regions BP1 and BP2 is the first direction, the direction away from the watch head WH in the second direction, and the user wears the wearable electronic device 100 to the left arm wrist. If it is assumed that worn, the direction toward the elbow of the user is defined as a third direction and the direction toward the user's hand as a fourth direction.
Band touch pressure is an attribute that can be defined, in particular, when the band touch sensor is configured as a sensor capable of sensing the pressure of a touch, such as the force direction sensor 131 described with reference to FIG. The magnitude of the force in the direction perpendicular to the touch surface at the position of.
The band touch shear force direction is defined in particular when the band touch sensor is configured as a sensor capable of sensing a shear force on a touch surface of a touch, such as the force direction sensor 131 described with reference to FIG. 3. As a possible property, as described with reference to FIG. 3, it means the direction of the shear force measured at the band touch position while the band touch is held at one point.
The above description is merely illustrative of the technical idea of the present invention, and those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains may make various modifications and changes without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments of the present invention described above may be implemented separately or in combination with each other.
Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are not intended to limit the technical idea of the present invention but to describe the present invention, and the scope of the technical idea of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. The protection scope of the present invention should be interpreted by the following claims, and all technical ideas within the equivalent scope should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims (15)

In the wearable electronic device worn on the user's wrist,
A display portion;
A band portion connected to the display unit and providing a mechanism for allowing the wearable electronic device to be worn on a user's wrist;
A band touch sensor disposed in the band region and having a force direction sensor unit configured to sense a first vector at a first point and a second vector at a second point applied to a contact surface; And
Obtaining a shear force of a band touch input to the band touch sensor from the band touch sensor,
And a controller configured to generate a control signal for executing a corresponding operation based on any one of the obtained properties of the shear force.
The first vector is a force in a direction perpendicular to the contact surface from the first point,
The second vector is a force in a direction perpendicular to the contact surface from the second point,
The force direction sensor unit,
Sensing a shear force intensity that is a magnitude difference between the first vector and the second vector,
Sensing a shear force direction which is a direction perpendicular to the second vector at the center of the contact surface.
Wearable electronics.
The method of claim 1,
The first point is the point under the smallest pressure at the contact surface,
The second point is the point under the greatest pressure at the contact surface
Wearable electronics.
The method of claim 1,
The band region may include a first band region connected to a first side of the display unit and a second band region connected to a second side of the display unit.
The band touch sensor may include a first band touch sensor disposed in the first band region and a second band touch sensor disposed in the second band region.
Wearable electronics.
The method of claim 3, wherein the control unit,
Receiving a first band touch through the first band touch sensor,
Receiving a second band touch through the second band touch sensor,
And generating a control signal for executing a corresponding operation based on any one of the shear force properties of the first band touch and one of the shear force properties of the second band touch.
Wearable electronics.
In the wearable electronic device worn on the user's wrist,
Display portion
A first band portion connected to the first side of the display unit;
A second band portion connected to the second side of the display unit;
A first band touch sensor disposed in the first band region and receiving a first band touch;
A second band touch sensor disposed in the second band region and receiving a second band touch; And
It is determined whether the first band region and the second band region are connected to each other.
When it is determined that the first band region and the second band region are connected to each other, based on the first band touch and the second band touch input through the first band touch sensor and the second band touch sensor. To perform an operation corresponding to the first band touch, to perform an operation corresponding to the second band touch, or to perform an operation corresponding to a combination of the first band touch and the second band touch. And a control unit for generating a control signal.
Wearable electronics.
The method of claim 5, wherein the control unit,
Based on a sensing value received through a connection detection sensor provided in at least one of one end of the first band region connected to the second band region and one end of the second band region connected to the first band region. And determining that the first band region and the second band region are connected to each other.
Wearable electronics.
The method of claim 5, wherein at least one of the first band touch sensor and the second band touch sensor,
And a bending sensor capable of sensing whether at least one of the first band region and the second band region is in a flat state or a bending state.
Wearable electronics.
The method of claim 7, wherein the control unit,
On the basis of the sensing value received from the bending sensor, when at least one of the first band region and the second band region is in a flat state, it is determined that the first band region and the second band region are not connected. Characterized
Wearable electronics.
The method of claim 7, wherein the control unit,
On the basis of the sensing value received from the bending sensor, when the first band region and the second band region are in a bent state, the first band region and the second band region are determined to be connected.
Wearable electronics.
The method of claim 5, wherein the control unit,
If it is determined that the first band region and the second band region are not connected to each other, the first band touch and the second band touch input through the first band touch sensor and the second band touch sensor are ignored. Characterized by
Wearable electronics.
The method of claim 5, wherein the control unit,
When it is determined that the first band region and the second band region are not mutually, the first band touch sensor and the second band touch sensor are deactivated.
Wearable electronics.
The method of claim 5,
The first band touch and the second band touch are a band touch position, a band touch duration time, a band touch moving direction, a band touch pressure, and a band touch shear force direction ( shear force direction) having at least one or a combination thereof
Wearable electronics.
The method of claim 5, wherein the control unit,
In order to confirm an operation corresponding to the first band touch, at least one of the attributes of the first band touch is used.
Wearable electronics.
The method of claim 5, wherein the control unit,
In order to confirm an operation corresponding to the second band touch, at least one of the attributes of the second band touch is used.
Wearable electronics.
The method of claim 5, wherein the control unit,
In order to identify an operation corresponding to the first band touch and the second band touch, a combination of at least one of the attributes of the first band touch and at least one of the attributes of the second band touch is used.
Wearable electronics.

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