Sensor having a set of plates, and method

• US 20120089348A1
• Filed: 10/11/2011
• Published: 04/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: New York University, Tactonic Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: New York University & Tactonic Technologies
• Inventors: Perlin, Kenneth, Hendee, Charles, Grau, Alex, Seidman, Gerald
• Granted Patent: US 9,411,457 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/41
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• 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 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• 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 2203/04112 Electrode mesh in capacitive digitiser: electrode for touch sensing is formed of a mesh of very fine, normally metallic, interconnected lines that are almost invisible to see. This provides a quite large but transparent electrode surface, without need for ITO or similar transparent conductive material
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04113 Peripheral electrode pattern in resistive digitisers, i.e. electrodes at the periphery of the resistive sheet are shaped in patterns enhancing linearity of induced field
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/005 Input arrangements through a video camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• 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 3/04166 Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/047 using sets of wires, e.g. crossed wires

Abstract

A sensor having a set of plates that are in contact from their bottom at the corners with a set of protrusions that are in contact from above with a plurality of intersections, each having a sensing element, of a grid of wires disposed on a base, and a top surface layer that is disposed atop the set of plates, so that force imparted from above onto the top surface layer is transmitted to the plates and thence to the protrusions, and thence to the intersections of the grid of wires which are thereby compressed between the base and protrusions; and that the protrusions above thereby focus the imparted force directly onto the intersections. A sensor includes a computer in communication with the grid which causes prompting signals to be sent to the grid and reconstructs a continuous position of force on the surface from interpolation based on data signals received from the grid. A method for sensing.

Claims

1. A sensor comprising:

a set of plates that are in contact from their bottom at the corners with a set of protrusions that are in contact from above with a plurality of intersections, each having a sensing element, of a grid of wires disposed on a base, and a top surface layer that is disposed atop the set of plates, so that force imparted from above onto the top surface layer is transmitted to the plates and thence to the protrusions, and thence to the intersections of the grid of wires which are thereby compressed between the base and protrusions; and

that the protrusions above thereby focus the imparted force directly onto the intersections; and

a computer in communication with the grid which causes prompting signals to be sent to the grid and reconstructs a continuous position of force on the surface from interpolation based on data signals received from the grid.

2. The sensor of claim 1 wherein each sensing element includes FSR.

3. The sensor of claim 2 wherein when force is imparted to the surface layer, each protrusion is aligned to be in contact with a corresponding sensing element.

4. The sensor of claim 3 including adhesive disposed between the surface layer and the set of plates, and between the protrusions and the grid, and between the grid and the base.

5. The sensor of claim 4 wherein each plate is positioned such that its corners are aligned inside of the adjacent sensing elements.

6. The sensor of claim 5 wherein the plates are specially aligned such that there is a gap between the plates, and that a center of the gap between the corners of the plates is aligned to correspond with a sensing element.

7. The sensor of claim 6 wherein each protrusion is a rigid bump of plastic, metal, wood or glass and focuses force onto the corresponding sensing element, each protrusion having a shape whose contact with the corresponding sensing element lies exactly upon or inside of the corresponding sensing element.

8. The sensor of claim 7 wherein the protrusions continue through the gap between the plates to be flush with the plates.

9. The sensor of claim 7 wherein the protrusions emanate from vertices of the plates with the plates.

10. A method for sensing comprising:

imparting force from above onto a top surface layer that is transmitted to a set of plates and thence to a set of protrusions, and thence to a plurality intersections of a grid of wires which are thereby compressed between the base and protrusions, where the set of plates are in contact from their bottom at their corners with the set of protrusions that are in contact from above with the plurality of intersections of the grid of wires disposed on the base; and

that the protrusions above thereby focus the imparted force directly onto the intersections;

causing prompting signals by a computer in communication with the grid to be sent to the grid; and

reconstructing with the computer a continuous position of force on the surface from interpolation based on data signals received from the grid.

11. An apparatus for sensing comprising:

a computer; and

one or more individual sensing tiles in communication with the computer that form a sensor surface that detects force applied to the surface and provides a signal corresponding to the force to the computer which produces from the signal a time varying continuous image of force applied to the surface, where the surface is contiguous, and detected force can be sensed in a manner that is geometrically continuous and seamless on a surface.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein each tile includes a set of plates that are in contact from their bottom at the corners with a set of protrusions that are in contact from above with a plurality of intersections of a grid of wires disposed on a base, and a top surface that is disposed atop the set of plates, so that force imparted from above onto the top surface layer is transmitted to the plates and thence to the protrusions, and thence to the intersections of the grid of wires which are thereby compressed between the base and protrusions;

and that the protrusions above thereby focus the imparted force directly onto the intersections.