Next-Generation Apple Watch Might Have A Digital Crown That'll Act Like Joystick

The Apple Watch provides a wide range of interaction methods like the side button, touchscreen, voice control, and the Digital Crown. At present, the Digital Crown serves as a multipurpose device that could be clicked, used as a contact point for ECG readings, and could be rotated. But, it appears that the Cupertino tech juggernaut thinks it could still do something out of the Digital Crown.

A recently approved Apple patent titled "Capacitive gap sensor ring for an electronic watch" was granted by the US Patent and Trademark Office ( USPTO ) last Tuesday. The patent reveals that the Digital Crown of the Apple Watch could be turned into a form of directional controller or of a joystick. Additionally, the patent states that the Digital Crown could be made from a shaft or cap that can be moved in several directions.

The Digital Crown of the next-generation Apple Watch is covered by a selection of capacitative elements across a couple of surfaces. On these surfaces, one moves within another similar to a shaft in a socket or a ring while the other rotates. By sensing the changes in the capacitance for each of the capacitive elements where these elements touch, it could detect where the physical location of the internal element in connection to the outer version.

Through this, the device informs which direction the user presses the Digital Crown of Apple Watch. The patent also reveals that some kind of measurement could be utilized to sense which element of the central part is in contact with the outside section, thereby detecting how the crown is turned at the time of contact. Utilizing several rows of the capacitative elements could also allow the detection of how far the Digital Crown is pressed in the Apple Watch.

Just like a joystick and other control schemes, the Digital Crown will have a return mechanism to bring the central element back to the center of the available space to prepare for the next input attempt by the user. Based on the patent, Apple proposes that unlike the current user interface of Apple Watch that does not use a cursor, there could be graphical elements manipulated by the joystick-like lateral of the crown.

While this may sound interesting, the patent is not an assurance that such a feature will soon be in the future Apple Watch. Apple, like all other tech companies, has a habit of filing patents that sometimes do not move to production.