Sensor layer having a patterned compliant layer

• US 10,019,085 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2016
• Issued: 07/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Qiao, Rui, Ogata, Charley T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chow, Van N
• Application Number:
  US15/005,200
• Publication Number:
  US 20170090618A1
• Time in Patent Office: 897 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0447 Position sensing using the local deformation of sensor cells

Abstract

A sensor layer, such as a force sensor layer, can be in included in an electronic device. The sensor layer includes a patterned compliant layer that is positioned between a first substrate and a second substrate. The patterned compliant layer includes multiple angled compliant elements that are angled at one or more angles with respect to the first and second substrates.

Claims

1. A force sensor layer, comprising:

a first substrate layer comprising one or more first force sensitive structures, the one or more first force sensitive structures comprising a first set of one or more conductive electrodes;

a second substrate layer comprising one or more second force sensitive structures, the one or more second force sensitive structures comprising a second set of one or more conductive electrodes; and

a patterned compliant layer positioned between the first and second substrate layers, the patterned compliant layer comprising multiple angled compliant elements that are angled between, and at one or more angles with respect to, the first and second substrate layers;

wherein;

the first and second sets of one or more conductive electrodes are arranged to produce one or more capacitors having a capacitance that varies with force.

2. The force sensor layer of claim 1, wherein the multiple angled compliant elements include a first set of angled compliant elements angled at a first angle and a second set of angled compliant elements angled at a different second angle with respect to the first and second substrate layers.

3. The force sensor layer of claim 2, wherein the angled compliant elements in the first set of angled compliant elements are angled toward the angled compliant elements in the second set of angled compliant elements.

4. The force sensor layer of claim 1, wherein the patterned compliant layer comprises a transversely isotropic patterned compliant layer.

5. The force sensor layer of claim 1, wherein each of the multiple angled compliant elements is formed with silicone.

6. The force sensor layer of claim 1, wherein the force sensor layer is positioned adjacent a display stack in an electronic device.

7. The force sensor layer of claim 1, wherein the force sensor layer is positioned around at least a portion of a perimeter of an enclosure of an electronic device.

8. An electronic device, comprising:

a display stack; and

a sensor layer positioned within or adjacent the display stack, the sensor layer comprising a patterned compliant layer positioned between a first substrate layer and a second substrate layer, the patterned compliant layer comprising multiple angled compliant elements that are angled between, and at one or more angles with respect to, the first and second substrate layers;

wherein;

the first substrate layer comprises one or more first force sensitive structures, the one or more first force sensitive structures comprising a first set of one or more conductive electrodes;

the second substrate layer comprises one or more second force sensitive structures, the one or more second force sensitive structures comprising a second set of one or more conductive electrodes; and

the first and second sets of one or more conductive electrodes are arranged to produce one or more capacitors having a capacitance that varies with force.

9. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the multiple angled compliant elements include a first set of angled compliant elements angled at a first angle and a second set of angled compliant elements angled at a second angle with respect to the first and second substrate layers.

10. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the sensor layer is positioned below the display stack.

11. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the patterned compliant layer comprises a transversely isotropic patterned compliant layer.

12. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein at least one of the first substrate layer and the second substrate layer comprises a flexible printed circuit.

13. An electronic device, comprising:

an enclosure; and

a sensor layer positioned around at least a portion of a perimeter of the enclosure, the sensor layer comprising a patterned compliant layer positioned between a first substrate layer and a second substrate layer, the patterned compliant layer including multiple angled compliant elements that are angled between, and at one or more angles with respect to, the first and second substrate layers;

wherein;

the sensor layer comprises a force sensor layer and the first and second substrate layers each include one or more force sensitive structures;

the one or more force sensitive structures associated with the first substrate layer comprise a first set of one or more conductive electrodes;

the one or more force sensitive structures associated with the second substrate layer comprise a second set of one or more conductive electrodes; and

the first and second sets of one or more electrodes are arranged to produce one or more capacitors that each has a capacitance that varies with force.

14. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the patterned compliant layer comprises a transversely isotropic patterned compliant layer.

15. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein at least one of the first substrate layer and the second substrate layer comprises a flexible printed circuit.

16. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the multiple angled compliant elements include a first set of angled compliant elements angled at a first angle and a second set of angled compliant elements angled at a second angle with respect to the first and second substrate layers.