Method and apparatus for sensing utilizing tiles

• US 9,317,154 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2011
• Issued: 04/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: New York University, Tactonic Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: New York University, Tactonic Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: Perlin, Kenneth, Hendee, Charles, Grau, Alex, Seidman, Gerald
• Primary Examiner(s): Edwards, Carolyn R
• Application Number:
  US13/317,131
• Publication Number:
  US 20120086659A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,652 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-184
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• 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 2203/04112 Electrode mesh in capacitive digitiser: electrode for touch sensing is formed of a mesh of very fine, normally metallic, interconnected lines that are almost invisible to see. This provides a quite large but transparent electrode surface, without need for ITO or similar transparent conductive material
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04113 Peripheral electrode pattern in resistive digitisers, i.e. electrodes at the periphery of the resistive sheet are shaped in patterns enhancing linearity of induced field
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/005 Input arrangements through a video camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04144 using an array of force sensing means position sensing using the local deformation of sensor cells G06F3/0447
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04166 Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184
• 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 3/047 using sets of wires, e.g. crossed wires

Abstract

An apparatus for sensing includes a computer. The apparatus includes one or more individual sensing tiles in communication with the computer that form a sensor surface that detects force applied to the surface and provides a signal corresponding to the force to the computer which produces from the signal a time varying continuous image of force applied to the surface, where the surface is contiguous, and detected force can be sensed in a manner that is geometrically continuous and seamless on a surface. A method for determining locations of tiles of a sensor.

Claims

1. An apparatus for sensing comprising:

a computer and a plurality of individual sensing tiles in communication with the computer that form a sensor surface that detects force applied to the surface and provides a signal corresponding to the force to the computer which produces from the signal a time varying continuous image of force applied to the surface, where the surface is contiguous, and detected force can be sensed in a manner that is geometrically continuous and seamless on a surface, each tile having protrusions; and

bridging plates which span across pairs of the protrusions on different sensing tiles, the computer causes prompting signals to be sent to the sensing tiles and reconstructs a continuous position of force on the surface from interpolation based on data signals received from the sensing tiles, each sensing tile has a microcontroller that produces data packets that have the sensing tile'"'"'s identity from which the data packets are produced and which are sent over a common communication protocol shared by the microcontroller of each sensing tile to the computer, a printed circuit board having the microcontroller and a layer having an inner face below the protrusions with a cavity in which the printed circuit board is disposed.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the plurality of sensing tiles includes a master tile in communication with the computer and slave tiles in communication with the master tile, the master tile receives the data packets produced from the slave tiles and provide them to the computer.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the plurality of sensing tiles receive power from the computer.

4. A method for sensing comprising:

detecting a force applied to a sensor surface formed of a plurality of individual sensing tiles having protrusions from an object moving across the surface where the surface is contiguous, detected force can be sensed in a manner that is geometrically continuous and seamless on a surface with bridging plates which span across pairs of the protrusions on different sensing tiles;

including the step of producing with a microcontroller of each sensing tile data packets that have the sensing tile'"'"'s identity from which the data packets are produced and which are sent over a common communication protocol shared by the microcontroller of each sensing tile to a computer, each sensing tile having a printed circuit board having the microcontroller and a layer having an inner face below the protrusions with a cavity in which the printed circuit board is disposed;

providing a signal corresponding to the force to the computer from the tiles in communication with the computer; and

producing with the computer from the signal a time varying continuous image of force applied to the surface.

5. The method of claim 4 including the step of connecting an additional tile to at least one of the two tiles to expand the size of the sensor surface, where the surface includes the additional tile and is contiguous, and detected force can be sensed in a manner that is geometrically continuous and seamless on a surface.

6. The method of claim 4 including the step of imparting force to a top of a mechanical layer that is transmitted through at least one intersection of a plurality of intersections, and thence to at least one protrusion of a set of protrusions in contact with at least one of the intersections, where the intersections are defined by a grid of wires and areas of space between the wires, and the mechanical layer has a plurality of plates that are disposed atop the grid of wires.

7. The method of claim 4 including the step of imparting force to a top of a mechanical layer that is transmitted through at least one protrusion of a set of protrusions to at least one intersection of a plurality of intersections, where the intersections are defined by a grid of wires and areas of space between the wires, and the mechanical layer has a plurality of plates that are disposed atop the grid of wires.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein the plurality of sensing tiles includes a master tile in communication with the computer and slave tiles in communication with the master tile, and there is the step of the master tile receiving the data packets produced from the slave tiles and provide them to the computer.