Dynamically stabilized magnetic array
First Claim
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1. A consumer electronic product, comprising:
- a housing arranged to carry components including a display assembly, the display assembly overlaid by a protective cover, comprising;
a substrate layer;
a display layer that is capable of presenting visual content and separated from the substrate layer, wherein the display layer is capable of moving towards the substrate layer;
a first array of magnetic elements carried on a surface of the substrate layer facing the display layer; and
a second array of magnetic elements carried on a surface of the display layer facing the substrate layer,wherein when an externally applied force is applied to the protective cover, a portion of the display layer moves towards the substrate layer such that a magnetic circuit is formed between the first and second arrays of magnetic elements, thereby providing a tactile feedback at the portion of the display layer.
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Abstract
This application relates to devices and accessories that include or are configured to react with a mixture of electromagnets and permanent magnets. In particular the permanent magnets are configured to maintain persistent connections between components while the electromagnets are configured to pulse or activate periodically to maintain the connections or fix alignment of the various connections in certain circumstances.
9 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A consumer electronic product, comprising:
a housing arranged to carry components including a display assembly, the display assembly overlaid by a protective cover, comprising; a substrate layer; a display layer that is capable of presenting visual content and separated from the substrate layer, wherein the display layer is capable of moving towards the substrate layer; a first array of magnetic elements carried on a surface of the substrate layer facing the display layer; and a second array of magnetic elements carried on a surface of the display layer facing the substrate layer, wherein when an externally applied force is applied to the protective cover, a portion of the display layer moves towards the substrate layer such that a magnetic circuit is formed between the first and second arrays of magnetic elements, thereby providing a tactile feedback at the portion of the display layer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A display assembly carried by a consumer electronic product, comprising:
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a display layer that is capable of presenting visual content; a substrate layer; a touch sensor coupled to the display layer, the touch sensor capable of detecting touch events; and a tactile feedback unit coupled to the display layer and capable of providing a tactile feedback, the tactile feedback unit comprising a magnetic element carried by the display layer and an electromagnet carried by the substrate layer, the electromagnet capable of being activated to form a magnetic circuit with the magnetic element, wherein when a touch event is detected at the display layer, the electromagnet is activated to form the magnetic circuit with the magnetic element that provides the tactile feedback. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method for operating an input device, the input device comprising a substrate layer, a display layer separated from the substrate layer, a first magnetic element carried by the substrate layer, and a second magnetic element carried by the display layer, the second magnetic element forming a magnetic circuit with the first magnetic element, the method comprising:
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displaying an input element on the display layer; detecting a change in a strength of the magnetic circuit caused by a depression of the display layer at the input element; and activating an electromagnet to provide a tactile feedback at the input element when the change in the strength of the magnetic circuit exceeds a threshold value. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification