Hybrid force sensitive touch devices

• US 9,977,537 B2
• Filed: 04/06/2016
• Issued: 05/22/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Molne, Anders L., Griffith, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Jansen, II, Michael J
• Application Number:
  US15/091,829
• Publication Number:
  US 20160216842A1
• Time in Patent Office: 776 Days
• 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 3/04142 the force sensing means being located peripherally, e.g. disposed at the corners or at the side of a touch sensing plate
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04186 Touch location disambiguation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/042 by opto-electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/043 using propagating acoustic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• 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 3/046 by electromagnetic means

Abstract

A hybrid touch-screen display that integrates force-based touch-screen technology with any one from among a group of projective capacitive, surface capacitive, resistive, digital resistive, SAW, IR, APR, DST, optical and electromagnetic touch-screen technologies to provide an ability to compensate for non-perfect force transfer. An alternate implementation is also disclosed that employs a single force sensor for relative force measurement in a system in which force is traditionally not measured, here a water dispenser unit. This allows compensation for varying static loads, run-time calibration, and filtering of extraneous loads through firmware.

Claims

1. A hybrid touch and force sensing apparatus, comprising:

a touch panel having one or more sensors adapted to determine coordinates of a received touch;

one or more force-based touch sensors coupled to the touch panel; and

a processor;

wherein

the touch panel outputs the coordinates of the received touch to the processor and the one or more force-based touch sensor outputs sensors output a z-force coordinate to the processor;

the processor divides the touch panel into a plurality of zones, determines which of the plurality of zones received the touch, retrieves a predetermined compensation factor for a determined zone, and applies the predetermined compensation factor to the z-force coordinate; and

the predetermined compensation factor is based on a distance between the coordinates of the received touch and the one or more force-based touch sensors.

2. The hybrid touch and force sensing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a touch-screen display;

wherein

the touch panel is part of the touch-screen display.

3. The hybrid touch and force sensing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the touch panel comprises a capacitive touch panel.

4. The hybrid touch and force sensing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the touch panel comprises a resistive touch panel.

5. The hybrid touch and force sensing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the touch panel comprises an ultrasonic touch panel.

6. The hybrid touch and force sensing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the touch panel comprises an optical touch panel.

7. The hybrid touch and force sensing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the touch panel comprises an electromagnetic touch panel.

8. The hybrid touch and force sensing apparatus of claim 1, wherein a force-based touch sensor of the one or more force-based touch sensors is coupled to the touch panel at a corner of the touch panel.

9. The hybrid touch and force sensing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a printed circuit board;

wherein the one or more force-based touch sensors are mounted on the printed circuit board.

10. The hybrid touch and force sensing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more force-based touch sensors comprise a force sensing resistive sensor.

11. The hybrid touch and force sensing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more force-based touch sensors comprise a force transducing rubber sensor.

12. A method for calculating an amount of force provided on a touch panel of an electronic device, the method comprising:

determining, using one or more sensors, coordinates of a touch received on the touch panel;

determining a force component of the received touch using one or more force sensors;

dividing the touch panel into a plurality of zones;

determining which of the plurality of zones received the touch;

retrieving a predetermined compensation factor for a determined zone in the plurality of zones; and

applying the predetermined compensation factor to the force component;

wherein the predetermined compensation factor is based on a distance between the coordinates of the touch and the one or more force sensors.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the predetermined compensation factor is different for each zone in the plurality of zones.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising comparing the force component to a touch threshold to determine whether the received touch is an intended touch.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the touch panel is part of a touch-screen display.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more force sensors comprise a force sensing resistive sensor.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more force sensors comprise a force transducing rubber sensor.