Google Inc.

Andrew Ness

Debanjan Mukherjee

Steven Jacobs

Guangqun Chen

Diego Rivas Costante

Emily Porter

Samuel Vinci

Maggie Mittan

A trackpad includes: a substrate; a circuit board coupled to the substrate for detecting a position of an object adjacent the substrate; a haptic feedback component coupled to the circuit board; a first plate coupled to the circuit board; a second plate including a spring element, a spacer coupling the circuit board and the spring element to each other, the spring element facilitating first movement of the substrate, the circuit board and the first plate relative to the second plate, the spacer facilitating second movement of at least the substrate and the circuit board by the haptic feedback component; and a capacitive force sensor that detects a capacitance of the first plate and the second plate. A trackpad can include a circuit board coupled to the substrate and including the first plate.

Trackpad with capacitive force sensing and haptic feedback

A trackpad includes: a substrate; a circuit board coupled to the substrate for detecting a position of an object adjacent the substrate, the circuit board including a first plate; a second plate including a spring element, wherein a spacer couples the circuit board and the spring element to each other, the spring element facilitating first movement of the substrate and the circuit board relative to the second plate; and a capacitive force sensor that detects a capacitance of the first plate and the second plate. A trackpad can include a spacer coupling the circuit board and the spring element to each other, and facilitating second movement of at least the substrate and the circuit board by a haptic feedback component.

Trackpad with capacitive force sensing

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Oakland, CA, United States of America

Andrew Ness