Ultrasound-based force sensing and touch sensing
First Claim
1. A touch I/O device, includinga touch sensor capable of providing touch location information, the touch location information including a location at which a contact or near-contact occurs;
- an ultrasonic force sensor capable of providing force of touch information, the force of touch information including a measure of an amount of force presented at the location at which the contact or near-contact occurs;
a drive circuit coupled to the touch sensor and to the ultrasonic force sensor, the drive circuit configured to;
drive the touch sensor at a first time and at a first frequency; and
drive the ultrasonic force sensor at least one of at a second different time or at a second different frequency;
a sense circuit coupled to the touch sensor and to the ultrasonic force sensor, and capable of combining information from the touch sensor and from the ultrasonic force sensor.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An input/output device for a computing device including one or more touch sensors and one or more force sensors. The touch sensors sense data including one or more locations at which a contact or near-contact occurs. The force sensor sense data including a measure of an amount of force presented at the one or more locations at which a contact occurs. The touch sensors and the force sensors responsive to signals occurring in response to whether the signals are in response to contact or in response to an amount of force. The input/output device also includes one or more circuits coupled to the touch sensors and to the force sensors, and capable of combining information from both sensors.
64 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A touch I/O device, including
a touch sensor capable of providing touch location information, the touch location information including a location at which a contact or near-contact occurs; -
an ultrasonic force sensor capable of providing force of touch information, the force of touch information including a measure of an amount of force presented at the location at which the contact or near-contact occurs; a drive circuit coupled to the touch sensor and to the ultrasonic force sensor, the drive circuit configured to; drive the touch sensor at a first time and at a first frequency; and drive the ultrasonic force sensor at least one of at a second different time or at a second different frequency; a sense circuit coupled to the touch sensor and to the ultrasonic force sensor, and capable of combining information from the touch sensor and from the ultrasonic force sensor. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method, including operations of:
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driving a touch sensor at a first time and a first frequency; driving an ultrasonic force sensor at a second time and a second frequency, wherein at least one of the second time does not overlap with the first time or the second frequency is distinct from the first frequency; providing touch location information in response to the touch sensor, the touch location information including a location at which a contact or near-contact occurs; providing force of touch information in response to the ultrasonic force sensor, the force of touch information including a measure of an amount of force presented at the location at which the contact or near-contact occurs; combining information from the touch sensor and from the ultrasonic force sensor. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification