Tactile touch sensor system and method

• US 10,338,722 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2018
• Issued: 07/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sensel, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sensel, Inc.
• Inventors: Rosenberg, Ilya Daniel, Zarraga, John Aaron
• Primary Examiner(s): Bolotin, Dmitry
• Application Number:
  US15/875,625
• Publication Number:
  US 20180150174A1
• Time in Patent Office: 529 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04102 Flexible digitiser, i.e. constructional details for allowing the whole digitising part of a device to be flexed or rolled like a sheet of paper
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04106 Multi-sensing digitiser, i.e. digitiser using at least two different sensing technologies simultaneously or alternatively, e.g. for detecting pen and finger, for saving power or for improving position detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04144 using an array of force sensing means position sensing using the local deformation of sensor cells G06F3/0447
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/042 by opto-electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means

Abstract

A tactile touch sensor (TTS) system and method allowing physical augmentation of a high-resolution touch sensor array (TSA) is disclosed. Physical augmentation is accomplished using a TSA physical overlay (TPO) placed on top of the TSA. The TPO is constructed to transmit forces to the underlying TSA. Force transmission is accomplished by either using a flexible overlay or with a rigid mechanical overlay that transmits user forces exerted on the overlay to the underlying TSA. Incorporation of TPO identifiers (TPI) within the TPO permits identification of the TPO by a TPO detector (TPD) allowing operational characteristics of the TSA to be automatically reconfigured to conform to the currently applied TPO structure by a user computing device (UCD). The UCD may be configured to automatically load an appropriate application software driver (ASD) in response to a TPI read by the TPD from the currently applied TPO.

Claims

1. A tactile touch sensor system comprising:

an overlay associated with a functionality and capable of receiving a first force;

an identifier associated with the overlay;

a touch sensor array coupled to the overlay and comprising a first force sensing element and a second force sensing element configured to detect the first force; and

wherein

the overlay is capable of transmitting the first force to a touch area of the touch sensor array;

the first force sensing element is configured to detect a first magnitude of a first portion of the first force applied at a first portion of the touch area;

the second force sensing element is configured to detect a second magnitude of a second portion of the first force applied at a second portion of the touch area;

the first portion and the second portion of the first force are unequal; and

the touch sensor array generates a first touch data based on the force.

2. The tactile touch sensor system of claim 1, wherein the first touch data comprises an input for the functionality.

3. The tactile touch sensor system of claim 1, wherein the functionality is an application program.

4. The tactile touch sensor system of claim 1, wherein the tactile touch sensor system is configured for the functionality based on the identifier.

5. The tactile touch sensor system of claim 1, wherein a first overlay includes an indicator associated with the identifier.

6. The tactile touch sensor system of claim 5, wherein the indicator comprises one of a group consisting of a magnet, a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, a dot pattern, a raised indicia, an antenna coupled to a microcontroller, an optical indicia, a shorting bar, a conductive electrode, and a conductive bar.

7. The tactile touch sensor system of claim 1, wherein the overlay is detachably coupled to the touch sensor array.

8. The tactile touch sensor system of claim 1, wherein the touch sensor array is configured to generate a second touch data based on a second force received on the overlay simultaneously with the first force.

9. The tactile touch sensor system of claim 1, wherein the force sensing elements are resistive or capacitive.

10. The tactile touch sensor system of claim 1, wherein the functionality of the overlay is configured to perform the functionality at a plurality of locations on the touch sensor array.

11. A method for operating a tactile touch sensor system comprising:

coupling an overlay associated with a functionality to a touch sensor array that comprises a touch area that includes a first force sensing element and a second force sensing element;

associating an identifier with the overlay;

receiving a first force on the touch area the overlay;

transmitting a first force from the overlay to the touch sensor array;

detecting a first magnitude of a first portion of the first force applied at a first portion of the touch area;

detecting a second magnitude of a second portion of the first force applied at a second portion of the touch area;

generating a first touch data based on the first force; and

wherein the first portion and the second portion of the first force are unequal.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first touch data comprises an input for the functionality.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the functionality is an application program.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising configuring the tactile touch sensor system for the functionality based on the identifier.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the overlay includes an indicator associated with the identifier.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the indicator comprises one of a group consisting of a magnet, a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, a dot pattern, a raised indicia, an antenna coupled to a microcontroller, an optical indicia, a shorting bar, a conductive electrode, and a conductive bar.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the overlay is detachably coupled to the touch sensor array.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising generating a second touch data based on a second force received on the overlay simultaneously with the first force.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the force sensing elements are resistive or capacitive.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the functionality of the overlay is configured to perform the functionality at a plurality of locations on the touch sensor array.

21. An overlay comprising:

a first contact location for receiving a first force;

a second contact location for transmitting the first force to a touch area of a touch sensor array;

means for indicating a functionality associated with the overlay; and

wherein

the touch sensor array comprises a first force sensing element and a second force sensing element configured to detect the first force;

the first force sensing element is configured to detect a first magnitude of a first portion of the first force applied at a first portion of the touch area;

the second force sensing element is configured to detect a second magnitude of a second portion of the first force applied at a second portion of the touch area;

the first portion and the second portion and of the first force are unequal.

22. The overlay of claim 21, wherein the functionality is an application program.

23. The overlay of claim 21, wherein the means for indicating is associated with an identifier.

24. The overlay of claim 21, wherein the means for indicating comprises one of a group consisting of a magnet, a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, a dot pattern, a raised indicia, an antenna coupled to a microcontroller, an optical indicia, a shorting bar, a conductive electrode, and a conductive bar.

25. The overlay of claim 21, wherein the overlay is capable of being detachably coupled to a touch sensor array.

26. The overlay of claim 21, wherein the touch sensor array is configured to generate a second touch data based on a second force received on the overlay at the same time with the first force.

27. The overlay of claim 21, wherein the force sensing elements are resistive or capacitive.

28. The overlay of claim 21, the functionality of the overlay is configured to perform the functionality at a plurality of locations on the touch sensor array.