MULTI-TOUCH FORCE SENSING TOUCH-SCREEN DEVICES AND METHODS

• US 20100053116A1
• Filed: 08/26/2008
• Published: 03/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: DAVERMAN, DODGE, Olley, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 9,477,342 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/175
• 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 3/04186 Touch location disambiguation

Abstract

Described are methods and devices including a touch sensor layer configured to receive touch input and a force sensor layer stacked with the touch sensor layer, the force sensor layer includes an array of force sensors configured to receive force input. The force sensor array includes individual force sensors. Specific sensors of the disclosed force sensor array are associated with specific locations of the touch screen to add information that can be used to decipher which key is actually being pressed and may avoid falsing. Both a touch signal and a force signal are utilized to determine the validity of a user touch input. In one embodiment each force sensor may operate independently of the others. Particular embodiments are described that utilize a coarse grid to determine valid touch inputs and that make a determination of a centroid location based on a plurality of force sensors to determine valid touch inputs

Claims

1. A user input system, comprising:

a touch sensor layer configured to receive touch input; and

a force sensor layer stacked with the touch sensor layer, the force sensor layer including an array of force sensors configured to receive force input.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a display module having a active viewing area, the display module stacked with the touch sensor layer, wherein at least a portion of the array of force sensors is outside the active viewing area of the display module.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein a user input includes a touch input to the touch sensor layer and a force input to the force sensor layer, the system further comprising:

a controller configured to receive at least one touch signal correlated to at least one touch input from the touch sensor layer and configured to receive a force signal correlated to force input from the force sensor layer and wherein the controller is further configured to first process the touch signal and then to subsequently process the force signal.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the touch sensor layer has an area wherein a location is associated with a portion of the area of the touch sensor layer, and wherein at least one force sensor layer is associated with at least one location of the touch sensor layer.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the controller is further configured to process a force signal to determine a force value for a user input in accordance with the location of user input to the touch sensor layer as determined from processing a touch signal.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the controller is further configured to determine multiple user inputs received by the touch sensor layer and to determine one or more locations of multiple user inputs and their associated force values.

7. The system of claim 3 wherein the touch sensor layer has a resolution and wherein the touch sensor layer is divided into grid portions of substantially lower resolution than that of the touch sensor and wherein a grid portion of the touch sensor is associated with at least one force sensor of the sensor array.

8. The system of claim 3 wherein the controller is configured to receive force input at a plurality of force sensors, determine a centroid location of the received force input and determine a force value in accordance with a magnitude of the force input at the centroid location.

9. A user input system, comprising:

a touch sensor layer configured to receive touch input of user input,

a force sensor layer configured to receive force input of the user input and stacked with the touch sensor layer; and

a controller configured to receive at least one touch signal correlated to at least one touch input from the touch sensor layer and configured to receive a force signal correlated to force input from the force sensor layer and wherein the controller is further configured to first process the touch signal and then to subsequently process the force signal.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the force sensor layer includes an array of force sensors.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the controller is further configured to determine multiple touch inputs received from the touch sensor layer and wherein the controller is further configured to determine which sensor of the array of force sensors received force input so as to determine a force value associated with at least one of the multiple touch inputs to determine which of the multiple touch inputs to register as valid touch input.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the controller is further configured to determine multiple touch inputs received from the touch sensor layer and the controller is further configured to determine relative levels of force input received by at least two of the force sensors of the array of force sensors to determine to which of multiple touch inputs to assign a force value.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein the touch sensor layer has a resolution and wherein the touch sensor layer is divided into grid portions of substantially lower resolution than that of the touch sensor and wherein a grid portion of the touch sensor is associated with at least one force sensor of the sensor array.

14. A method of a user input system including a touch sensor layer and a force sensor layer including an array of force sensors, the method comprising:

receiving touch input from the touch sensor layer;

processing the touch input to determine whether simultaneous touch inputs by the touch sensor layer were received;

receiving force input from the force sensor layer; and

processing, subsequently to processing the touch input, the force input to determine which sensor of the array of force sensor received force input.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the touch screen includes an area which includes a plurality of touch screen locations and wherein particular touch screen locations are assigned to particular force sensors of the force sensor arrays, the method further comprising:

determining a force value associated with a user input in accordance with at least one force sensor assigned to a particular touch screen location when a touch input is received at the particular touch screen location.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

determining whether the force value exceeds a predetermined threshold value for the location of the touch screen.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining multiple touch input received from the touch sensor layer; and

determining which of the multiple touch inputs to assign a force value.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising;

determining relative levels of force input received by at least two of the force sensors of the array of force sensors to determine to which of multiple touch inputs to assign a force value.

19. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

receiving force input at a plurality of force sensors;

determining a centroid location of the received force input;

determining a force value in accordance with a magnitude of the force input at the centroid location; and

determining which of multiple touch inputs is associated with the force value by selecting a touch screen location closest to the centroid location.