Earlier this month the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Samsung that reveals their work on a new kind of wearable device in the form of a bracelet that will be able to provide users with a much larger display to view online content with. The design is built on a concept of linking together a series of mini-display panels that fold and lock into one another using a magnetic element. The display links can also be individually removed if need be to make the device fit any size wrist. Even though the device is made up of multiple independent display links, they act in unison to present users with information as if it were a single display.
Samsung's patent FIG. 1A noted below is a perspective view illustrating a deformable wearable electronic device when the entire electronic device is unfolded while 1B is a side view; FIG. 2B is a side view illustrating a deformable wearable electronic device when both sides of a block are coupled together to form a bracelet.
Samsung's patent FIG. 6A is a view illustrating a sensor based setting method that will tilt the digital information on the display to be viewable by the user at different angles.
Samsung's patent FIG. 7A noted above is a view illustrating an input using touch tapping based setting method among display area setting methods of a display; FIG. 7B is a view illustrating an input using touch swipe based setting method among display area setting methods of a display.
Samsung's patent FIG. 8 is a view illustrating a method of setting a display function depending on a display area of a display. In this example the user is shown calling up the menu with a tap and then choosing 'Health' that calls up items such as 'exercise, pedometer, heart rated and more.
Other tidbits found in the patent filing notes that the display will accept input with an S Pen, voice, touch and hover gesturing. The device will also be able to communicate with a user's smartphone for data, voice communications, video calls and mobile TV.
Lastly, Samsung provides us with an endless list of sensors the device may be equipped with. The sensor module measures physical quantities or detects an operating state of the electronic device, thereby converting the measured or detected information into electrical signals. The sensor module may include at least one of a gesture sensor; a gyro sensor; a barometric pressure sensor; a magnetic sensor; an acceleration sensor; a grip sensor; a proximity sensor; a color sensor (for example, a red, green, blue (RGB) sensor); a biometric sensor; a temperature/humidity sensor; an illumination sensor; and an ultra violet (UV) sensor.
Additionally or alternatively, the sensor module may include an E-nose sensor: an electromyography (EMG) sensor; an electroencephalogram (EEG) sensor; an electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor; an infrared (IR) sensor; an iris sensor, and/or a fingerprint sensor.
In March Patently Apple posted a report that covered LG introducing Next-Gen wraparound OLED solutions that could lead to some interesting smart device designs from LG, Apple, Samsung and others. The smart bracelet category of devices will greatly benefit from displays that could be created from a single display that could wraparound a user's wrist.
Until such displays are readily available, Samsung's current invention could provide them with a workable solution or workaround that could bring their smart bracelet to market ahead of their competition.
Samsung filed their U.S. patent application in January 2016.
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