Force sensors and touch panels using same
First Claim
1. A device for determining the position of a force applied to a touch screen, comprising:
- a touch member;
a base support;
a plurality of coupling units coupled between the touch member and the base support, the coupling units each including a beam member connected at peripheral portions to respective beam member supports, a center portion of the beam member being substantially unsupported relative to the periph&
al portions, a force path passing force between the touch member and the base support, the force path extending between the center portion of the beam member and the peripheral portions of the beam member; and
at least one sensor element associated with each coupling unit and disposed to measure a signal indicative of a force at the beam member location due to the force applied to the touch screen, the position of the force applied to the touch screen being determinable from the sensor element signals.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A touch screen uses one or more force sensors to determine location of the touch on the screen. The force sensor has an accurately determined direction of sensitivity and, therefore, has reduced sensitivity to forces that are non-perpendicular to the screen. The sensor is thin in relation to the area of the active force-sensing element, allowing low profile force touch screens to have a better combination of mechanical integrity, accuracy, sensitivity, and high signal to noise ratio than has heretofore been achieved. The sensor may also be rotationally soft, so that it is effective at preventing twisting motions of the overlay or the support surface from affecting the sensed force.
163 Citations
62 Claims
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1. A device for determining the position of a force applied to a touch screen, comprising:
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a touch member; a base support; a plurality of coupling units coupled between the touch member and the base support, the coupling units each including a beam member connected at peripheral portions to respective beam member supports, a center portion of the beam member being substantially unsupported relative to the periph&
al portions, a force path passing force between the touch member and the base support, the force path extending between the center portion of the beam member and the peripheral portions of the beam member; andat least one sensor element associated with each coupling unit and disposed to measure a signal indicative of a force at the beam member location due to the force applied to the touch screen, the position of the force applied to the touch screen being determinable from the sensor element signals. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method of detecting the location of a touch on a touch screen having a touch member and an underlying support surface, comprising:
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isolating a twisting moment of one of the touch member and the underlying support surface from the other of the touch member and an underlying support surface; providing a plurality of force-sensitive devices coupled to the touch member, and for each device; passing at least a portion of a force applied to a first side of the touch member to one of i) a center portion of a force spreader disposed on a second side of the touch member, the center portion of the force spreader being substantially unsupported, and ii) peripheral portions of the force spreader; spreading the portion of the applied force from the one of the i) the center portion of the force spreader and ii) the peripheral portions of the force spreader to the other of i) the center portion of the force spreader and ii) the peripheral portions of the force spreader; and measuring a signal indicative of the portion of the applied force passed to the force spreader; and using the signals measured from each device to determine the touch location. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. A system for detecting the location of a force applied to a first side of a touch member, comprising:
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a plurality of force spreading means disposed on a second side of the touch member; means for passing at least a portion of a force applied to a first side of the touch member to a center portion of each force spreading means, the center portion of each force spreading means being substantially unsupported, each force spreading means passing the portion of the applied force between the center portion and the peripheral portions of each force spreading means; and means for measuring a signal indicative of the portion of the applied force passed to each force spreading means.
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36. A touch panel system for determining the location of a touch on the touch panel, comprising:
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a base support; a touch member coupled to the base support via a plurality of coupling units, each of the coupling units coupling between the touch member and the base support, the coupling units each including; a beam member connected at peripheral portions to respective beam member supports, a center portion of the beam member being substantially unsupported relative to the peripheral portions, a force path passing force between the touch member and the base support, the force path passing between the center portion of the beam member and the peripheral portions of the beam member; and at least one sensor element associated with each coupling unit and disposed to measure a signal indicative of a force at the beam member location; and a touch panel controller coupled to receive signals from the at least one sensor elements and to determine a location of a touch on the touch panel. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38, 39, 40)
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41. A device for locating the position of a touch on a touch screen, comprising:
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a touch member; a receiving structure; a plurality of force spreading members each having a concentrated force receiving region coupled to receive a force passed into the force spreading members from the touch member, and each having a force distributing region to pass the force out of the force spreading members to the receiving structure, the force distributing region having a larger area than the force receiving region, the receiving structure and force spreading members being arranged so that changes in curvature of the force spreading members arising from the force maintain loading of the force spreading through the force spreader while the force remains within a measurement range, so as to spread the force within the spreading members to substantially all of the distributing region; and a sensing element disposed to detect a signal indicative of the force passing through the force spreading members. - View Dependent Claims (42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52)
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53. A system for locating a touch on a touch screen, comprising:
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a touch member; a base support; a plurality of coupling assemblies coupled between a coupling region of the touch member and the base support, the coupling assemblies being rotationally unconstrained relative to one of the touch member and the base support, the coupling assemblies each including a beam member having a predominant plane, the beam member including a first region coupled to receive force from the touch member, the beam member further including at least one second region, the beam member receiving the force in a direction perpendicular to the predominant plane and passing the force laterally to the at least one second region, the force passing out of the beam member through the at least one second region towards a beam member support of the coupling assembly, and a sensor element associated with each coupling assembly and responsive to the force perpendicular to the predominant plane. - View Dependent Claims (54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62)
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Specification