Apple Inc.

Christopher J Butler

Martin Paul Grunthaner

Sinan Filiz

Brian Quentin Huppi

John Stephen Smith

Charley T Ogata

Shin John Choi

Steven James Martisauskas

James E Pedder

Dhaval Chandrakant Patel

Peter W Richards

Christian M Sauer

Steven Porter Hotelling

Tang Yew Tan

Richard Hung Minh Dinh

David A Pakula

Erik G De Jong

Sawyer Isaac Cohen

Storrs Townsend Hoen

Jonah Alexander Harley

Ian A Spraggs

Omar Sze Leung

Lee E Hooton

Dhaval N Shah

Miguel C Christophy

Vivek Katiyar

Ming L Sartee

Rui Qiao

Shahrooz Shahparnia

Mohammad Yeke Yazdandoost

Sunggu Kang

Romain A Teil

Christophe Blondin

Manu Agarwal

Alexandre Gourevitch

Kai Wang

Tan Yew Tan

An optical stylus system including an optical stylus and optical sensing system that are together operative to determine one or more of the target or touch location, centroid, hover distance, tilt angle, azimuth, and in some instances the orientation and rotation of the stylus is disclosed. In some examples, light illuminator and detector angular filters are employed to limit the illumination and detection angles of light to minimize false object detection. In other examples, the stylus is a passive stylus with a surface that reflects light with a consistent angular reflection profile or reflected light pattern regardless of stylus tilt. In still other examples, the stylus can detect light at different modulation frequencies emitted from an array of light emitters in the optical sensing system, or the stylus can emit light and detect reflected light with different spectral distributions across the optical sensing system to determine stylus location.

Photo-sensing enabled display for stylus detection

A device configured to determine the location and magnitude of a touch on a surface of the device. The device includes a transparent touch sensor that is configured to detect a location of a touch on the transparent touch sensor. The device also includes a force-sensing structure disposed at the periphery of the transparent touch sensor. The force sensor includes an upper capacitive plate and a compressible element disposed on one side of the upper capacitive plate. The force sensor also includes a lower capacitive plate disposed on a side of the compressible element that is opposite the upper capacitive plate.

Force determination based on capacitive sensing

A plurality of metallic components (e.g., conductive rods) can be included within an insulator layer of a touch sensor panel. The metallic components included within the insulator layer can be electrically floating. The metallic components can increase a signal coupling strength across the thickness of the insulator layer. In some examples, the metallic components can have a uniform spacing and uniform physical dimensions. In some examples, the metallic components can provide increased signal coupling in areas directly above touch sensitive regions of underlying touch sensor electrodes. In some examples, the metallic components can pass through the insulator in a straight line that is normal to opposing surfaces of the insulator layer. In some examples, the metallic components can be flared or otherwise pass through the insulator along a path that is not straight and/or not orthogonal to opposing surfaces of the insulator layer.

Conductive components in an insulator layer of a touch sensor stackup

A device configured to sense a touch on a surface of the device. The device includes a cover and a force-sensing structure disposed below the cover. The force-sensing structure may be positioned below a display and used in combination with other force-sensing elements to estimate the force of a touch on the cover of a device.

Force determination employing sheet sensor

An optical force sensor that may compensate for environmental effects, including, for example, variations in temperature of the device or the surroundings. In some examples, two force-sensitive layers are separated by a compliant layer. The relative electrical response of the two force-sensitive layers may be used to compute an estimate of the force of a touch that reduces the effect of variations in temperature. In some examples, piezoelectric films having anisotropic strain properties are used to reduce the effects of temperature.

Temperature compensating sensor having a compliant layer separating independent force sensing substrates and sense circuitry to obtain a relative measure between the force sensing substrates

An optical force sensor, which may be used as input to an electronic device. The optical force sensor may be configured to compensate for variations in temperature using two or more force-sensitive components that are formed from materials having different temperature- and strain-dependent responses.

Temperature compensating force sensor

Force determination employing sheet sensor and capacitive array

A system can include a display, a first device, and a second device all operatively connected to a controller. The first and second devices each use or share at least a portion of the display area. The controller is adapted to transmit during a pixel refresh time period of the display a first signal that is received by the first device. The first sync signal indicates a first time period in which a first operation can be performed in the first device. The controller is also adapted to transmit a second sync signal that is received by the second device indicating a second time period in which a second operation can be performed in the second device. The second time period can be during the pixel refresh time period or outside of the pixel refresh time period.

Operating multiple functions in a display of an electronic device

A method of calibrating a force sensor that includes an input surface and an array of sensing elements. The input has a number of test locations and is deformable under applied force. The force sensor is mounted in a predetermined test orientation. For each test location of the plurality of test locations on the input surface of the force sensor a predetermined test force to the test location. An element calibration value is measured for each sensing element of the array of sensing elements of the force sensor. An (x, y) deformation map of the input surface of the force sensor corresponding to the application of the predetermined test force to the test location is determined based on the measured element calibration values.

Self-calibration of force sensors and inertial compensation

Systems for detecting an amount and/or location of a force applied to a device using a piezoelectric film are provided. One example system can include a transparent piezoelectric film for generating an electric charge in response to a deformation of the film. Electrodes positioned on opposite surfaces of the piezoelectric film can be used to detect the generated electric charge and determine an amount and/or location of force applied to the film based on the generated electric charge. In another embodiment, the system can include a capacitive touch sensor for determining a location of a touch event on the device.

Piezo based force sensing

An optically transparent force sensor that may compensate for environmental effects, including, for example, variations in temperature of the device or the surroundings. In some examples, two force-sensitive layers are separated by a compliant layer. The relative electrical response of the two force-sensitive layers may be used to compute an estimate of the force of a touch that reduces the effect of variations in temperature. In some examples, piezoelectric films having anisotropic strain properties are used to reduce the effects of temperature.

Temperature compensating transparent force sensor having a compliant layer

An optically transparent force sensor, which may be used as input to an electronic device. The optically transparent force sensor may be configured to compensate for variations in temperature using two or more force-sensitive components that are formed from materials having different temperature- and strain-dependent responses.

Temperature compensating transparent force sensor

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Cupertino, CA, United States of America

Christopher J Butler