Apple has been studying how to install a camera lens in the apple watch. One suggestion is to make it part of the familiar digital watch crown. Imagine that when you point to someone, your apple watch will take a picture without their knowledge. This is creepy. However, it is certain that Apple will have privacy protection measures, because a newly granted patent has emphasized the privacy needs of this design seven times. However, the "watch with camera" patent itself does not specify any privacy issues.
Current disclosures "assume that entities responsible for the collection, analysis, disclosure, transfer, storage or other use of these personal information data will comply with established privacy policies and / or privacy practices."
Previously, Apple has obtained a patent to install an embedded camera under the display of the apple watch. Even this new patent is not entirely about the use of a digital crown.
"In addition, or... The camera can be realized as a back facing camera, which can capture pictures through the back of the watch shell," the patent suggests. "Although the wrist may block the camera shooting scene when the watch case is worn on the wrist, the case can be removed from the wrist through the release mechanism in the connection interface, or by removing the case together with the strap to take photos with the camera on the back."
Therefore, users can take off their watch, hold it up, and take photos in a way that looks more like a spy than a tracker.
Apple believes that the watch surface can become a viewfinder, "camera flash... When the watch is worn on the wrist, it can be used for optical heart rate monitoring or other physiological sensing applications."
However, this idea is almost a side idea, for example, it does not touch the problem of how to lock the watch when it is removed from the wrist.
"A watch may include a rotatable dial, such as a rotatable crown for digital input. A camera may be included in the assembly to capture an image through an aperture extending to the dial. A lens may be integrated within and / or behind the aperture of the dial to focus an image of a scene," the patent document describes. "The image sensor set behind the aperture can be further configured to detect the movement of the mark on the dial, so that the image sensor can be used not only as a camera to capture the picture of the scene, but also as a sensor to detect the rotation of the dial to sense the rotation input."
There are two problems associated with mounting a lens into a digital crown. One problem is that the patent does not discuss how to take photos.
An obvious possibility is that the watch surface once again becomes a viewfinder and has a button for shooting. In addition, apple can expand its new Apple watch barrier free feature. For example, when users clench their fists, they can shoot.
However, another problem is how to install the lens into the digital watch crown, which is already a very complex problem, and this patent does not cover this point.
One of the two inventors of this patent is Tyler S. Bushnell. His previous work included applying for a patent to transform the digital watch crown. Rather than a mechanical device, the top of the crown can be made into a touch sensitive area -- which will likely provide space for the camera lens.