Multi-zone capacitive force sensing device and methods
First Claim
1. An apparatus, comprising:
- a plurality of capacitors each having an upper conductive surface and a lower conductive surface substantially parallel to the upper conductive surface;
a housing with a top plate and a bottom plate to encompass the plurality of capacitors; and
a sensor in the housing to generate a measurement based on a change in a distance between the upper conductive surface and the lower conductive surface of each of the plurality of capacitors when a contact zone of the top plate associated with the each of the plurality of capacitors is deflected by a force applied on the contact zone.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A multi-zone capacitive force sensing apparatus/method is disclosed. In one embodiment, an apparatus includes one or more capacitors each having an upper conductive surface and a lower conductive surface substantially parallel to the upper conductive surface, a housing with a top plate and a bottom plate to encompass the capacitors, and a sensor in the housing to generate a measurement based on a change in a distance between the upper conductive surface and the lower conductive surface of each of the capacitors when a contact zone of the top plate associated with the each of the plurality of capacitors is deflected by a force applied on the contact zone. The apparatus may also include a comparison module associated with the sensor to generate a signal indicating unevenness of a force applied on the top plate when there is any significant difference between measurements of the capacitors.
64 Citations
20 Claims
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1. An apparatus, comprising:
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a plurality of capacitors each having an upper conductive surface and a lower conductive surface substantially parallel to the upper conductive surface;
a housing with a top plate and a bottom plate to encompass the plurality of capacitors; and
a sensor in the housing to generate a measurement based on a change in a distance between the upper conductive surface and the lower conductive surface of each of the plurality of capacitors when a contact zone of the top plate associated with the each of the plurality of capacitors is deflected by a force applied on the contact zone. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method, comprising:
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producing a deflection in each of a plurality of contact zones coupled to a top plate of a housing which encompasses a plurality of capacitors each having two parallel conductive surfaces when a load is applied on the plurality of contact zones; and
automatically generating a capacitance data from each of the plurality of capacitors when a distance between the two parallel conductive surfaces of the each of the plurality of capacitors is changed due to the deflection in the each of the plurality of contact zones. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification