Ultrasound-based force sensing of inputs

• US 10,635,217 B2
• Filed: 01/02/2018
• Issued: 04/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Huppi, Brian Q., Grunthaner, Martin P., Elias, John G., Filiz, Sinan, Hotelling, Steven P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tung, David
• Application Number:
  US15/860,183
• Publication Number:
  US 20180121006A1
• Time in Patent Office: 847 Days
• 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 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/023 Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/043 using propagating acoustic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

An electronic device that senses home button inputs through ultrasonic force sensing. The electronic device may correlate that amount of force that a user applies to the home button with a specific home button command. In certain embodiments, the system may combine the force of touch information with other information that is sensed for a particular touch to correlate the touch input with a greater number of home button commands. A home button embodiment discussed herein may include a home button image that is displayed on a touch sensitive panel. In other embodiments, a home button may be located outside of the boundaries of a touch sensitive panel.

Claims

1. A force-sensitive device, comprising:

an ultrasound-based force-sensing element disposed with respect to a surface of the force-sensitive device, the force-sensing element comprising;

at least one emitter operative to transmit an energy pulse toward the surface of the force-sensitive device; and

at least one receiver configured to receive a reflected energy pulse from the surface of the force-sensitive device and output force data corresponding to a touch on the surface of the force-sensitive device; and

a processor operative to;

receive, from the force-sensing element, the force data;

execute a first process for identifying an input command when the force data indicates a first magnitude of force, the first process comprising;

determining whether the force-sensitive device is displaying an application or a home screen;

responsive to determining that the force-sensitive device is displaying the application, identifying the input command as a command to display a home screen; and

responsive to determining that the force-sensitive device is displaying the home screen, identifying the input command as a command to display a search function screen; and

execute a second process for identifying the input command when the force data indicates a second magnitude of force, wherein the second process is different from the first process.

2. The force-sensitive device of claim 1, wherein:

the surface of the force-sensitive device is at least partially defined by a display; and

the force-sensitive device further comprises a sensing layer configured to detect a location of the touch on the display.

3. The force-sensitive device of claim 1, wherein the at least one receiver is operatively coupled to the processor and configured to transmit a signal to the processor corresponding to the reflected energy pulse.

4. The force-sensitive device of claim 3, wherein the processor is operative to determine an estimate of a force applied to the surface of the force-sensitive device based at least in part on the reflected energy pulse.

5. The force-sensitive device of claim 1, wherein the second process for identifying the input command comprises at least one of:

determining whether the force-sensitive device is displaying the application or the home screen;

determining whether the force-sensitive device is displaying a recent applications user interface;

or

determining whether the force-sensitive device is in a locked state.

6. The force-sensitive device of claim 5, wherein the second process comprises:

responsive to determining that the force-sensitive device is displaying the application or the home screen, identifying the input command as a command to display the recent applications user interface;

responsive to determining that the force-sensitive device is displaying the recent applications user interface, identifying the input command as a command to display the home screen; and

responsive to determining that the force-sensitive device is in the locked state, identifying the input command as a command to display music player controls.

7. The force-sensitive device of claim 1, wherein the second process for identifying the input command comprises:

determining whether a voice command interface is enabled; and

responsive to determining that the voice command interface is not enabled, identifying the command as a command to enable the voice command interface.

8. A method for determining and responding to an input force, comprising:

ultrasonically sensing a force exerted on a surface of an electronic device, by;

transmitting an energy pulse toward the surface of the electronic device; and

receiving a reflected energy pulse from the surface of the electronic device;

determining a magnitude of the force using the reflected energy pulse;

responsive to the magnitude of the force being within a first range of values, executing a first process for identifying an input command, the first process comprising;

determining whether a voice command interface is enabled; and

responsive to determining that the voice command interface is not enabled, determining that the input command is a command to enable the voice command interface;

responsive to the magnitude of the force being within a second range of values different from the first range of values, executing a second process for identifying the input command, wherein the second process is different from the first process; and

executing the identified input command.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the force exerted on the surface corresponds to a touch at a location on the surface;

the method further comprises detecting the location of the touch; and

identifying the input command uses both the location of the touch and the magnitude of the force.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein:

the surface is at least partially defined by a display of the electronic device; and

the location of the touch corresponds to a graphical element rendered by the display.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining a duration during which the force is exerted on the surface of the electronic device; and

identifying the input command uses both the duration and the magnitude of the force.

12. An electronic device, comprising:

a touch-sensitive display;

an ultrasound-based force-sensing element positioned below the display, the force-sensing element comprising;

an emitter operative to transmit an ultrasonic pulse toward a surface of the display;

a receiver configured to receive a reflected ultrasonic pulse from the surface of the display and output force data corresponding to a touch on the surface of the display; and

a processor operative to;

receive the force data and estimate the amount of force;

execute a first process for identifying an input command in response to the amount of force equaling or exceeding a first threshold, the first process comprising;

determining whether the force-sensitive device is displaying an application or a home screen;

responsive to determining that the force-sensitive device is displaying the application, determining that the input command is a command to display a home screen; and

responsive to determining that the force-sensitive device is displaying the home screen, determining that the input command is a command to display a search function screen; and

execute a second process for identifying the input command in response to the amount of force equaling or exceeding a second threshold greater than the first threshold, wherein the second process is different from the first process.

13. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the force data indicates an amount of force applied to a particular region of the display.

14. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the region of the display is indicated by an image rendered on the display.

15. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the receiver is operatively coupled to the processor and configured to transmit a signal to the processor corresponding to the reflected energy pulse.

16. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the processor is operative to determine the estimate of force applied to the display based at least in part on the reflected energy pulse.

17. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to:

execute a third process for identifying the input command in response to the amount of force equaling or exceeding a third threshold greater than the second threshold.

18. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein:

the processor is further configured to determine a duration during which the amount of force is exerted; and

at least one of the first process or second process comprises determining the input command using the duration.