Touch Pad with Force Sensors and Actuator Feedback
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Accused Products
Abstract
Electronic devices may use touch pads that have touch sensor arrays, force sensors, and actuators for providing tactile feedback. A touch pad may be mounted in a computer housing. The touch pad may have a rectangular planar touch pad member that has a glass layer covered with ink and contains a capacitive touch sensor array. Force sensors may be mounted under each of the four corners of the rectangular planar touch pad member. The force sensors may be used to measure how much force is applied to the surface of the planar touch pad member by a user. Processed force sensor signals may indicate the presence of button activity such as press and release events. In response to detected button activity or other activity in the device, actuator drive signals may be generated for controlling the actuator. The user may supply settings to adjust signal processing and tactile feedback parameters.
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Citations
40 Claims
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1-20. -20. (canceled)
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21. A portable computer comprising:
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an upper housing; a display positioned within the upper housing; a lower housing pivotally coupled with the upper housing; a keyboard positioned within the lower housing; and a touch pad disposed within the lower housing and comprising; a cover layer forming a touch surface of the touch pad; a printed circuit board having a capacitive sensor and coupled to the cover layer by a first adhesive layer; a stiffener layer coupled to the printed circuit board by a second adhesive layer; and a set of force sensors positioned below the stiffener layer and configured to produce a variable output that corresponds to an amount of force applied to the touch surface. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. A portable computing device comprising:
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an upper housing; a display positioned within the upper housing; and a lower housing pivotally coupled with the upper housing and comprising; a keyboard; a glass sheet forming a touch-sensitive surface; a circuit layer positioned below the glass sheet and coupled to the glass sheet by a first adhesive layer; a capacitive sensor array formed on the circuit layer; a stiffener layer coupled to the circuit layer by a second adhesive layer; a set of force sensors positioned below the glass sheet and configured to produce a variable output that corresponds to an amount of force applied to the touch-sensitive surface; and an output device configured to produce a haptic output in response to the amount of force exceeding a threshold. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33)
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34. A portable device comprising:
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an display portion; a base portion coupled to the display portion and comprising; a keyboard; a touch pad positioned along the keyboard and comprising; a cover sheet defining a touch surface of the touch pad; a circuit layer having a capacitive sensor and coupled to the cover sheet by a first adhesive layer; a stiffener layer coupled to the circuit layer by a second adhesive layer; and a set of force sensors positioned below the stiffener layer and configured to produce a variable output that corresponds to an amount of force applied to the touch surface. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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Specification