Patent Application
20180253065
Various embodiments generally relate to watches.
Wearable device manufacturers are providing solutions with operating battery life of 3-14 days before the need to recharge. Some traditional watch companies that have gone into smartwatches have attempted to provide non-chargeable batteries in order to have a lasting watch functions but this assumes an electronic notification of (only) one notification a day, which is impractical. Thus, there may be a need for enhanced management of battery life in wearable devices.
According to various embodiments, a watch may be provided. The watch may include: a timing circuit configured to provide information about a current time; a smart watch circuit configured to provide smart watch functionality; a first battery configured to provide energy to the timing circuit; a second battery configured to provide energy to the smart watch circuit; and a communication circuit configured to provide communication between the timing circuit and the smart watch circuit; wherein the communication circuit includes a safety circuit configured to prevent leakage of current from the first battery to the second battery.
In the drawings, like reference characters generally refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead generally being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. The dimensions of the various features or elements may be arbitrarily expanded or reduced for clarity. In the following description, various embodiments of the invention are described with reference to the following drawings, in which:
The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings that show, by way of illustration, specific details and embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. Other embodiments may be utilized and structural, and logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. The various embodiments are not necessarily mutually exclusive, as some embodiments can be combined with one or more other embodiments to form new embodiments.
In this context, the watch as described in this description may include a memory which is for example used in the processing carried out in the watch. A memory used in the embodiments may be a volatile memory, for example a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) or a non-volatile memory, for example a PROM (Programmable Read Only Memory), an EPROM (Erasable PROM), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable PROM), or a flash memory, e.g., a floating gate memory, a charge trapping memory, an MRAM (Magnetoresistive Random Access Memory) or a PCRAM (Phase Change Random Access Memory).
In an embodiment, a “circuit” may be understood as any kind of a logic implementing entity, which may be special purpose circuitry or a processor executing software stored in a memory, firmware, or any combination thereof. Thus, in an embodiment, a “circuit” may be a hard-wired logic circuit or a programmable logic circuit such as a programmable processor, e.g. a microprocessor (e.g. a Complex Instruction Set Computer (CISC) processor or a Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC) processor). A “circuit” may also be a processor executing software, e.g. any kind of computer program, e.g. a computer program using a virtual machine code such as e.g. Java. Any other kind of implementation of the respective functions which will be described in more detail below may also be understood as a “circuit” in accordance with an alternative embodiment.
In the specification the term “comprising” shall be understood to have a broad meaning similar to the term “including” and will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps. This definition also applies to variations on the term “comprising” such as “comprise” and “comprises”.
The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that the referenced prior art forms part of the common general knowledge in Australia (or any other country).
In order that the invention may be readily understood and put into practical effect, particular embodiments will now be described by way of examples and not limitations, and with reference to the figures.
Various embodiments are provided for devices, and various embodiments are provided for methods. It will be understood that basic properties of the devices also hold for the methods and vice versa. Therefore, for sake of brevity, duplicate description of such properties may be omitted.
It will be understood that any property described herein for a specific device may also hold for any device described herein. It will be understood that any property described herein for a specific method may also hold for any method described herein. Furthermore, it will be understood that for any device or method described herein, not necessarily all the components or steps described must be enclosed in the device or method, but only some (but not all) components or steps may be enclosed.
The term “coupled” (or “connected”) herein may be understood as electrically coupled or as mechanically coupled, for example attached or fixed or attached, or just in contact without any fixation, and it will be understood that both direct coupling or indirect coupling (in other words: coupling without direct contact) may be provided.
Wearable device manufacturers are providing solutions (for example wearable devices, for example smartwatches) which do not have a long battery life, for example with operating battery life of 3-14 days, so that they require charging after 3-14 days of use. Some traditional watch companies that have gone into smartwatches have attempted to provide (in other words: employ) non-chargeable (in other words: traditional) batteries in smartwatches in order to have a lasting watch functions but this assumes an electronic notification of (only) one notification a day, which is impractical. It will be understood that the meaning of notification message is where a mobile phone send a summary message (such as: SMS (short message service), email, WhatsApp, incoming call etc.). An average user may typically receive between 50 and 200 notifications per day, especially with the prevalent use of WhatsApp, Facebook, and Twitter short messages.
In other words, with the propagation of wearable device targeting fitness and notification, suppliers are providing a series of solutions with operating battery life of 3-14 days before the devices need to be recharged. While watch companies attempt to provide devices using a non-chargeable battery to have long lasting watch function, they have the assumption of only one notification per day, which is impractical.
According to various embodiments, a solution may be provided for the management of battery life in wearable devices.
According to various embodiments, a dual battery watch with notification (in other words: a smart watch with (at least) two batteries) may be provided.
According to various embodiments, a dual battery concept (for example including a traditional battery and an electronic battery) may be provided.
In other words, different batteries may be provided for different functionalities of the watch, and leakage of current between the different batteries may be prevented.
According to various embodiments, the first battery 106 may be configured to provide energy only to the timing circuit 102. It will be understood that the timing circuit 102 may provide traditional watch functions, which are not limited to time keeping only, but may include alarms, timer, or lapse, for example.
According to various embodiments, the second battery 108 may be configured to provide energy to the smart watch circuit 104 and to the timing circuit 102 if it is determined (for example by a further circuit of the watch 100), that the second battery 108 includes more than a pre-determined energy (for example, the second battery 108 includes enough energy to provide both the smart watch circuit 104 and the timing circuit 102 with energy).
According to various embodiments, the first battery 106 may be configured to prevent providing energy to the smart watch circuit 104.
According to various embodiments, the second battery 108 may be configured to provide energy only to the smart watch circuit 104.
According to various embodiments, the second battery 108 may be configured to prevent providing energy to the timing circuit 102.
According to various embodiments, the communication circuit 110 may include an input/output buffer.
According to various embodiments, the input/output buffer may include or may be the safety circuit.
According to various embodiments, the input/output buffer may include a plurality of first connections connected to the timing circuit, and may further include a plurality of second connections connected to the smart watch circuit.
According to various embodiments, the first connections may be configured to float.
According to various embodiments, the second connections may be configured to pull low for output connections among the second connections.
According to various embodiments, the second connections may be configured to use a pullup resistor for input connections among the second connections.
According to various embodiments, the communication circuit 110 may be configured to transmit setting information from the timing circuit 102 to the smart watch circuit 104 (and/or vice versa from the smart watch circuit 104 to the timing circuit 102). According to various embodiments, a user may make watch settings from a smart phone app. The smart phone app may push the watch settings to the smart watch circuit 104 wirelessly. From the smart watch circuit 104, the information may be synchronized to the timing circuit 102. The user may also manually set the timing function and this setting may be pushed to smart watch circuit 104 to relay the latest settings back to the smart phone app.
According to various embodiments, the setting information may include or may be the information about the current time.
According to various embodiments, the setting information may include or may be information indicating user preference settings.
According to various embodiments, the communication circuit 110 may be configured to provide synchronization information between the timing circuit 102 and the smart watch circuit 104.
According to various embodiments, the watch 100 may further include a display (not shown in
According to various embodiments, the watch 100 may further include a first display and a second display (not shown in
According to various embodiments, the first battery 106 may include or may be a non-rechargeable battery.
According to various embodiments, the first battery may include or may be a coin cell.
According to various embodiments, the first battery 106 may be configured to provide a current of at least substantially 20 uA or less in average.
According to various embodiments, the second battery may include or may be a rechargeable battery.
According to various embodiments, the second battery may include or may be a lithium ion battery.
According to various embodiments, the second battery may be configured to provide an average current of more than 50 uA.
According to various embodiments, a system (for example an electronic smartwatch) may be provided which supports dual batteries like described in the following.
According to various embodiments, a first battery (which may for example be referred to as Battery 1) supports purely (in other words: only; in other words: no other functions than) watch functions, where an average current is for example 20 uA or less;
According to various embodiments, a second battery (which may for example be referred to as Battery 2) supports wireless, sensors and notifications function that always link to a smart phone with higher average current consumption, for example of 100-200 uA (the second battery may not support (or be used for) the watch functions, for which the first battery is provided).
According to various embodiments, a communication channel between the watch circuits and the wireless circuits may be provided for synchronisation (for example time synchronization or synchronizations of settings). The communication channel may be able to withstand the fluctuation of battery voltage level between the 2 systems (in other words: between the two batteries, i.e. between the first battery and the second battery).
According to various embodiments, both systems (in other words: between the two batteries, i.e. between the first battery and the second battery) share a common reference voltage e.g. ground to allow seamless communication between both systems (in other words: between both batteries).
According to various embodiments, the design may take into consideration current leakage and back bias issues between the two systems (in other words: between both batteries).
According to various embodiments, a special communication interface may be provided.
Special I/O buffers (for example of an over voltage tolerant fail-safe type) as shown in
By providing a special I/O buffer according to various embodiments without the protection diode 210, the smart circuit when drive to high voltage e.g. 3V may not cause current leakage to a lower potential timing circuit of which operate less than 2.7V.
A typical diode may start to conduct current when there is a voltage difference of 0.3V onwards.
Likewise in the event that the timing circuit battery runs out of power and drops below 2V, the smart circuit supply may not leak through this protection diode which drains off the power quickly.
According to various embodiments, the system (for example watch) may work in the event when either of the battery is shut down by not allowing unwanted leakage path to flow between the two systems (in other words: between the timing circuit and the smart watch circuit).
According to various embodiments, the watch MCU 302 may provide basic time keeping functions corresponding to traditional watch functions, refresh the LCD display 314, and handle input function of a watch (for example like “1. SET 2. ADJUST 3. MODE 4. BACKLIGHT”). The MCU 306 with wireless communication may handle functions like for example wellness such as step counts, calories, heart rate, UV, temperature, depth. It may also handle the wireless communication between the platform to a smart phone platform (or any smart host). It may also serve as message notifications from the smart phone. When a smart phone pushes a message wirelessly over to the watch, the MCU 306 may decipher the data, fetch the correct bitmap (for example characters, icons) from the pre-programmed flash content (in other words: content in the flash memory 330) and may push it over to smart display. The MCU 306 may vibrate the motor 340 according to the setting of user preferences in a mobile app. Sensor such as the accelerometer 328 may be used for step count, gesture based function (e.g. wrist turn, handshake). The 32 kHz XTAL 332 may provide the accurate RTC (real time clock) and timer for maintaining wireless link between watch and the smart phone. HIGH Clock XTAL 334 may only be used during the wireless communication data transfer and may go to sleep mode to conserve power. DC-DC 312 may be provided to have an efficient way of managing power where a LiON battery has average voltage 3.0V-4.2V while typical smart circuit operate at constant voltage ranging from 2.5V-3.3V.
According to various embodiments, a device (for example a watch) with a dual battery advantage may be provided.
According to various embodiments, a watch function may remain a primary function where a single battery may last over 12 months (in other words: the battery life may be more than 12 months).
According to various embodiments, a watch with integrated wireless, sensors and notification system with a battery life of 5-14 days that connect 7/24 with a smart phone may allow receiving over 100 notifications/day.
According to various embodiments, auto synchronization of a main watch clock may be provided whenever users go into a different time zone via smart phone.
According to various embodiments, the smart watch (for example via the MCU with the wireless communication) may connect to any kind of electronic device, for example to a smart phone, for example via Bluetooth, for example Bluetooth Low Energy (BT 4.0 or higher).
According to various embodiments, the watch may be set manually.
According to various embodiments, a user may sign up now for an account (for example a Razer ID account) to get real-time information on the user's product's warranty status (for example the warranty status of the watch according to various embodiments). The user may register his product online, and may be able to view his warranty status if he registered (for example via a website).
The watch according to various embodiments may be referred to as Nabu Watch.
The following examples pertain to further embodiments.
Example 1 is a watch comprising: a timing circuit configured to provide information about a current time; a smart watch circuit configured to provide smart watch functionality; a first battery configured to provide energy to the timing circuit; a second battery configured to provide energy to the smart watch circuit; and a communication circuit configured to provide communication between the timing circuit and the smart watch circuit; and wherein the communication circuit comprises a safety circuit configured to prevent leakage of current from the first battery to the second battery.
In example 2, the subject-matter of example 1 can optionally include that the first battery is configured to provide energy only to the timing circuit.
In example 3, the subject-matter of any one of examples 1 to 2 can optionally include that the first battery is configured to prevent providing energy to the smart watch circuit.
In example 4, the subject-matter of any one of examples 1 to 3 can optionally include that the second battery is configured to provide energy only to the smart watch circuit.
In example 5, the subject-matter of any one of examples 1 to 4 can optionally include that the second battery is configured to provide energy to the smart watch circuit and to the timing circuit if it is determined that the second battery comprises more than a pre-determined energy.
In example 6, the subject-matter of any one of examples 1 to 5 can optionally include that the communication circuit comprises at least one of an input/output buffer or a series of input/output buffers.
In example 7, the subject-matter of example 6 can optionally include that the input/output buffers comprises the safety circuit.
In example 8, the subject-matter of any one of examples 6 to 7 can optionally include that the input/output buffer comprises a plurality of first connections connected to the timing circuit, and comprises a plurality of second connections connected to the smart watch circuit.
In example 9, the subject-matter of example 8 can optionally include that the first connections are configured to float.
In example 10, the subject-matter of any one of examples 8 to 9 can optionally include that the second connections are configured to pull low for output connections among the second connections.
In example 11, the subject-matter of any one of examples 8 to 10 can optionally include that the second connections are configured to use a pullup resistor for input connections among the second connections.
In example 12, the subject-matter of any one of examples 1 to 11 can optionally include that the communication circuit is configured to transmit setting information from the timing circuit to the smart watch circuit.
In example 13, the subject-matter of example 12 can optionally include that the setting information comprises the information about the current time.
In example 14, the subject-matter of any one of examples 12 to 13 can optionally include that the setting information comprises information indicating user preference settings.
In example 15, the subject-matter of any one of examples 1 to 14 can optionally include that the communication circuit is configured to provide synchronization information between the timing circuit and the smart watch circuit.
In example 16, the subject-matter of any one of examples 1 to 15 can optionally include: a display; wherein the timing circuit is configured to provide the information about the current time on the display; wherein the smart watch circuit is configured to provide information based on the smart watch functionality on the display.
In example 17, the subject-matter of any one of examples 1 to 16 can optionally include: a first display; and a second display; and wherein the timing circuit is configured to provide the information about the current time on the first display; and wherein the smart watch circuit is configured to provide information based on the smart watch functionality on the second display.
In example 18, the subject-matter of any one of examples 1 to 17 can optionally include that the first battery comprises a non-rechargeable battery.
In example 19, the subject-matter of any one of examples 1 to 18 can optionally include that the first battery comprises a coin cell.
In example 20, the subject-matter of any one of examples 1 to 19 can optionally include that the first battery is configured to provide a current of at least substantially 20 uA or less.
In example 21, the subject-matter of any one of examples 1 to 20 can optionally include that the second battery comprises a rechargeable battery.
In example 22, the subject-matter of any one of examples 1 to 21 can optionally include that the second battery comprises a lithium ion battery.
In example 23, the subject-matter of any one of examples 1 to 22 can optionally include that the second battery is configured to provide a current of more than 50 uA and on average in a range between 100 uA and 200 uA.
While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to specific embodiments, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. The scope of the invention is thus indicated by the appended claims and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/SG2015/050447 | 11/12/2015 | WO | 00 |
