Systems, articles and methods for wearable electronic devices employing contact sensors

Abstract

Wearable electronic devices that employ one or more contact sensors (e.g., capacitive sensors and/or biometric sensors) are described. Contact sensors include electromyography sensors and/or capacitive touch sensors. Capacitive touch sensors include single-frequency capacitive touch sensors, recently-proposed swept frequency capacitive touch sensors, and a generalized version of swept frequency capacitive touch sensors referred to as multi-frequency capacitive touch sensors. The contact sensors are integrated into various devices, including generic watchstraps that may be substituted for the existing watchstrap in any wristwatch design, generic watch back-plates that may be substituted for the existing back-plate in any wristwatch design, and wearable electromyography devices that provide gesture-based control in a human-electronics interface.

1 . A wristwatch comprising:
 a housing having a top surface that includes a display and an inner cavity that includes a timekeeping device; and   a watchstrap that is flexible and carries a set of components and a set of communication pathways, the watchstrap physically coupled to the housing, wherein the set of components includes at least one contact sensor and at least one communication terminal, and wherein the at least one communication terminal is communicatively coupled to the at least one contact sensor by at least one communication pathway in the set of communication pathways.   
     
     
         2 . The wristwatch of  claim 1  wherein the set of components carried by the watchstrap includes:
 a digital processor communicatively coupled in between the at least one contact sensor and the communication terminal; and 
 a non-transitory processor-readable storage medium communicatively coupled to the digital processor, and wherein the non-transitory processor-readable storage medium stores processor-executable contact sensing instructions that, when executed by the digital processor, cause the digital processor to process signals received from the at least one contact sensor. 
 
     
     
         3 . The wristwatch of  claim 1  wherein the at least one contact sensor is carried on a first surface of the watchstrap, the first surface in physical contact with a user when the watchstrap is worn around a wrist of the user, and wherein the set of components carried by the watchstrap includes at least one of:
 a component that is carried on a second surface of the watchstrap, the second surface opposite the first surface; and/or 
 a component that is carried within the watchstrap. 
 
     
     
         4 . The wristwatch of  claim 1  wherein the at least one contact sensor includes at least one capacitive biometric sensor selected from the group consisting of: an electromyography sensor, a single-frequency capacitive touch sensor, and a multi-frequency capacitive touch sensor. 
     
     
         5 . A watchstrap for integration into a wristwatch, the watchstrap comprising:
 a flexible strap that is sized and dimensioned to mate with a wristwatch housing;   a set of communication pathways carried by the strap; and   a set of components carried by the strap, the set of components including at least one contact sensor and at least one communication terminal, wherein the at least one communication terminal is communicatively coupled to the at least one contact sensor by at least one communication pathway in the set of communication pathways.   
     
     
         6 . The watchstrap of  claim 5  wherein the set of components carried by the strap further includes:
 a digital processor communicatively coupled in between the at least one contact sensor and the at least one communication terminal; and 
 a non-transitory processor-readable storage medium communicatively coupled to the digital processor, wherein the non-transitory processor-readable storage medium stores processor-executable contact sensing instructions that, when executed by the digital processor, cause the digital processor to process signals received from the at least one contact sensor. 
 
     
     
         7 . The watchstrap of  claim 5  wherein the at least one contact sensor includes at least one capacitive biometric sensor selected from the group consisting of: an electromyography sensor, a single-frequency capacitive touch sensor, and a multi-frequency capacitive touch sensor. 
     
     
         8 . The watchstrap of  claim 5  wherein the strap includes a first surface and a second surface, and wherein:
 at least one component in the set of components carried by the strap is carried on the first surface of the strap; and 
 at least one component in the set of components carried by the strap is carried on the second surface of the strap and/or at least one component in the set of components carried by the strap is carried within the strap. 
 
     
     
         9 . A wristwatch comprising:
 a wristband;   a housing physically coupled to the wristband, the housing comprising:
 a top surface that includes a display; and 
 a back-plate formed of a substantially rigid material and positioned underneath the top surface, wherein the back-plate and the top surface together define a cavity therebetween, and wherein the back-plate includes a first surface that carries at least one contact sensor and a second surface that carries circuitry, the second surface opposite the first surface and the circuitry contained within the cavity and communicatively coupled to the at least one contact sensor; and 
 a digital processor contained within the cavity, the digital processor communicatively coupled to the circuitry. 
   
     
     
         10 . The wristwatch of  claim 9  wherein the wristwatch includes a non-transitory processor-readable storage medium contained within the cavity, and wherein the non-transitory processor-readable storage medium stores processor-executable contact sensing instructions that, when executed by the digital processor, cause the digital processor to process signals received from the at least one contact sensor. 
     
     
         11 . The wristwatch of  claim 9  wherein the at least one contact sensor includes at least one capacitive biometric sensor selected from the group consisting of: an electromyography sensor, a single-frequency capacitive touch sensor, and a multi-frequency capacitive touch sensor. 
     
     
         12 . The wristwatch of  claim 9  wherein the circuitry carried by the second surface of the back-plate is communicatively isolated from the display, and wherein the circuitry carried by the second surface of the back-plate includes the digital processor and a wireless transmitter communicatively coupled to the digital processor. 
     
     
         13 . A back-plate for integration into a wristwatch, the back-plate comprising:
 a plate of substantially rigid material that is sized and dimensioned to mate with a wristwatch housing and to provide an underside thereof;   at least one contact sensor carried on a first side of the plate;   circuitry carried on a second side of the plate, the second side opposite the first side, wherein the at least one contact sensor is communicatively coupled to the circuitry; and   at least one component selected from the group consisting of:   a tethered connector port communicatively coupled to the circuitry, the tethered connector port to in use communicatively couple to at least one electrical or electronic component of a wristwatch; and   a wireless transmitter communicatively coupled to the circuitry, the wireless transmitter to in use wirelessly transmit data provided by the at least one contact sensor.   
     
     
         14 . The back-plate of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 a non-transitory processor-readable storage medium carried on the second side of the plate, wherein the non-transitory processor-readable storage medium stores processor-executable contact sensing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to process signals received from the at least one contact sensor.   
     
     
         15 . The back-plate of  claim 14 , further comprising:
 a digital processor carried on the second side of the plate and communicatively coupled to both the circuitry and the non-transitory processor-readable storage medium.   
     
     
         16 . The back-plate of  claim 13  wherein the at least one contact sensor includes at least one capacitive biometric sensor selected from the group consisting of: an electromyography sensor, a single-frequency capacitive touch sensor, and a multi-frequency capacitive touch sensor. 
     
     
         17 . A wearable electronic device comprising:
 at least one electromyography (“EMG”) sensor responsive to muscle activity corresponding to a gesture performed by a user of the wearable electronic device and to provide signals in response thereto;   at least one capacitive touch sensor responsive to physical contact between the user and an object and to provide signals in response thereto;   a processor communicatively coupled to the at least one EMG sensor and to the at least one capacitive touch sensor; and   a non-transitory processor-readable storage medium communicatively coupled to the processor, the non-transitory processor-readable storage medium storing:
 processor-executable gesture identification instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to identify a gesture performed by the user based at least in part on signals provided by the at least one EMG sensor; and 
 processor-executable touch sensing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to process signals provided by the at least one capacitive touch sensor. 
   
     
     
         18 . The wearable electronic device of  claim 17  wherein the at least one capacitive touch sensor includes at least one capacitive touch sensor selected from the group consisting of: a single-frequency capacitive touch sensor; a multi-frequency capacitive touch sensor; and a swept frequency capacitive touch sensor. 
     
     
         19 . The wearable electronic device of  claim 17 , further comprising:
 at least one communication terminal communicatively coupled to the processor, the at least one communication terminal to transmit signals to a receiving device, wherein the signals are based on at least one of: signals provided by the at least one EMG sensor and/or signals provided by the at least one capacitive touch sensor.   
     
     
         20 . The wearable electronic device of  claim 17 , further comprising:
 at least one inertial sensor communicatively coupled to the processor, the at least one inertial sensor responsive to motion corresponding to the gesture performed by the user of the wearable electronic device and to provide at least one signal in response thereto, wherein the processor-executable gesture identification instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to identify the gesture performed by the user based at least in part on signals provided by the at least one EMG sensor cause the processor to identify the gesture performed by the user based at least in part on both signals provided by the at least one EMG sensor and at least one signal provided by the at least one inertial sensor.