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Transcapacitive touch and force sensing in an input device

  • US 10,372,259 B2
  • Filed: 06/30/2016
  • Issued: 08/06/2019
  • Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2016
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. An input device for force and proximity sensing comprising:

  • a plurality of touch electrodes comprising touch transmitter electrodes and touch receiver electrodes;

    a force electrode layer comprising a plurality of force electrodes;

    a resilient material layer having an original shape and being disposed between the plurality of touch electrodes and the force electrode layer, the resilient material layer configured to deform from its original shape when a force is applied to the input device to cause one or more of the plurality of touch electrodes to deflect towards the force electrode layer; and

    a processing system coupled to the plurality of touch electrodes and the plurality of force electrodes, the processing system being operable in at least a proximity sensing mode and a force sensing mode and configured to;

    when operating in the proximity sensing mode;

    drive the touch transmitter electrodes with touch transmitter signals; and

    determine a position of an input object, within a sensing region defined by the plurality of touch electrodes, based at least in part on a transcapacitive proximity measurement acquired from the touch receiver electrodes; and

    when operating in the force sensing mode;

    drive the plurality of force electrodes with force transmitter signals; and

    determine a force of the input object based at least in part on a transcapacitive force measurement acquired from at least one of the touch transmitter electrodes or the touch receiver electrodes, the transcapacitive force measurement being based on a change in capacitance between the plurality of force electrodes and the at least one of the touch transmitter electrodes or the touch receiver electrodes.

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