Integrated pressure sensitive lens assembly

• US 20100045612A1
• Filed: 09/07/2007
• Published: 02/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Mölne, Anders
• Inventors: Mölne, Anders
• Granted Patent: US 8,269,731 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1658 related to the mounting of internal components, e.g. disc drive or any other functional module
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• 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: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

A touch screen assembly for an electronic device such as a cell phone or PDA. The touch screen assembly generally comprises a floating lens suspended over the display and, optionally, the keypad to allow a degree of freedom. An underlying thin connecting layer such as a flex film is attached beneath the floating lens, and a plurality (for example, four) differentially-mounted pressure sensors are mounted beneath the floating lens and are electrically connected to the electronic device via the flex film. The pressure sensors are differentially positioned along an x- and y-axis for registering a pressure z from a touch to the lens at each of the four positions, to provide four data sets (x_1-4, y_1-4, z_1-4). Control software then interprets the exact touch-coordinate from the four data sets and generates a control signal. An optional haptic response generator and/or motion sensor are also contemplated. When used in a smaller electronics device such as a cell phone or PDA the touch screen sensor technology of the present invention is exceedingly thin and is capable of modular assembly for more-or-less “snap-in” construction.

Claims

1. A touch screen assembly for an electronic device having an LCD or OLED display module, comprising:

a lens over said display module;

a plurality n=1 . . . m of differentially-mounted pressure sensors mounted beneath said display module and differentially positioned along an x- and y-axis, said pressure sensors being electrically connected to the electronic device for registering a pressure z from a touch of said lens at any position along said x- and y-axis and for providing an analog differential pressure signal;

a circuit for converting said analog differential pressure signal into a time-based sequence of data sets (x_1-m, y_1-m, z_1-m); and

control software for interpreting and filtering said time-based sequence of data sets (x_1-m, y_1-m, z_1-m) to provide an exact touch-coordinate and for generating a control signal in accordance with said touch coordinate.

2. The touch screen assembly for an electronic device according to claim 1, wherein said differentially-mounted pressure sensors further comprises FSR sensors.

3. The touch screen assembly for an electronic device according to claim 2, wherein said differentially-mounted FSR sensors include four FSR sensors.

4. The touch screen assembly for an electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising a haptic response generator coupled to said lens for generating a vibration burst when a pressure is registered against said lens.

5. The touch screen assembly for an electronic device according to claim 1, wherein said lens is a floating lens over said display module.

6. The touch screen assembly for an electronic device according to claim 5, wherein said floating lens extends over a keypad of said device.

7. The touch screen assembly for an electronic device according to claim 1, wherein said pressure sensors each comprise a piezo resistive force sensor mounted orthogonally from the lens.

8. The touch screen assembly for an electronic device according to claim 1, wherein said control software filters successive data sets to remove non-relevant input.

9. The touch screen assembly for an electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising a motion sensor connected through said connection layer for responding to position, orientation and movement.

10. The touch screen assembly for an electronic device according to claim 1, wherein said control software is resident in a host processor of said electronic device.

11. The touch screen assembly for an electronic device according to claim 5, wherein said electronic device comprises a housing with an aperture and said floating lens comprises a tongue and groove periphery for engaging said electronic device housing and allowing a downward degree of freedom.

12. A touch screen assembly for an electronic device having a display, comprising:

a floating lens suspended over said display to allow a degree of freedom.

an underlying flex film connection layer attached beneath at least a portion of said floating lens;

four differentially-mounted pressure sensors mounted beneath said floating lens and differentially positioned along an x- and y-axis, said pressure sensors being electrically connected to the electronic device via said connection layer for registering a pressure z from a touch of said lens at each of said four positions to provide four data sets (x_1-4, y_1-4, z_1-4);

control software for interpreting an exact touch-coordinate from said four data sets and for generating a control signal in accordance with said touch coordinate.

13. The touch screen assembly for an electronic device according to claim 12, further comprising a haptic response generator coupled to said lens for generating a vibration burst when a pressure is registered against said lens.

14. The touch screen assembly for an electronic device according to claim 12, wherein said floating lens extends over both of said display and keypad.

15. The touch screen assembly for an electronic device according to claim 12, wherein said pressure sensors each comprise an FSR sensor.

16. The touch screen assembly for an electronic device according to claim 12, wherein said pressure sensors each comprise a piezo resistive force sensor mounted orthogonally from the transparent lens.

17. The touch screen assembly for an electronic device according to claim 12, wherein said floating lens assembly is spring loaded.

18. The touch screen assembly for an electronic device according to claim 12, wherein said software component records a number of data points over time during each key press.

19. A touch screen assembly for an electronic device having an LCD or OLED display module, comprising:

a lens over said display module;

a plurality n=1 . . . m of pressure sensors mounted below said lens and differentially positioned along an x- and y-axis, each of said pressure sensors being compressed with a preload force p_1-m and electrically connected to the electronic device for registering a compensated pressure Pc_1-m=z_1-m−

p_1-m from a touch of said lens at any position along said x- and y-axis and for providing an analog differential pressure signal;

a circuit for converting said analog differential pressure signal into a time-based sequence of data sets (x_1-m, y_1-m, Pc_1-m); and

control software for interpreting and filtering said time-based sequence of data sets (x_1-m, y_1-m, Pc_1-m) to provide an exact touch-coordinate and for generating a control signal in accordance with said touch coordinate.

20. The touch screen assembly for an electronic device according to claim 19, wherein said differentially-mounted pressure sensors further comprise four FSR sensors.

21. The touch screen assembly for an electronic device according to claim 19, further comprising a haptic response generator coupled to said lens for generating a vibration burst when a pressure is registered against said lens.

22. The touch screen assembly for an electronic device according to claim 21, wherein said pressure sensors each comprise a piezo resistive force sensor mounted orthogonally from the lens.