Cambridge Touch Technologies Ltd.

Constantinos Tsangarides

Arokia Nathan

Michael Robert Astley

Xiang Cheng

Jiahao Li

Paridhi Sharma

Antonio Afonso Bras Ferreira Marques

Riccardo Micci

An apparatus () is described which includes a touch panel (). The touch panel () includes a layer of piezoelectric material () disposed between a number of sensing electrodes () and at least one counter electrode (). The apparatus () also includes a touch controller () connected to the touch panel (). The touch controller () is configured to determine, in response to receiving piezoelectric signals () from one or more of the sensing electrodes (), a location () and an applied force () corresponding to a user interaction () with the touch panel (). The touch controller () is configured to determine a capacitance value () of one or more of the sensing electrodes (). The touch controller is configured to operate in a force-based mode, a capacitance-based mode or a mixed force-capacitance mode depending on the type of input received.

Force sensing touch panel

A force-sensing touch panel () is described which includes a layer structure stacked in a thickness direction between first and second surfaces. The layer structure includes from first surface to second surface, a number of first electrodes () and a number of second electrodes (), a layer of piezoelectric material (), and a number of third electrodes (). The first and second electrodes () are configured to define a coordinate system for sensing a location of a force applied to the touch panel in a plane perpendicular to the thickness direction. The third electrodes () are configured such that signals received from the first, second and third electrodes () enable determining unique locations corresponding to two or more forces applied to the touch panel () concurrently.

A device () includes a body () and a touch panel () supported by, integrated with, or underlying the body (). The touch panel () includes a layer of piezoelectric material () disposed between a plurality of first electrodes () and at least one second electrode (). The device () also includes at least one second piezoelectric input region () supported by, integrated with, or underlying a portion of the body () which does not correspond to the touch panel (). The device () is configured to receive user input using the touch panel () and/or at least one piezoelectric input region ().

Buttonless device

A touch sensor () for combined capacitive touch and force sensing is described. The touch sensor () includes number plurality of first electrodes () and a number of second electrodes (). The second electrodes () are insulated from the first electrodes (). The first and second electrodes () form a grid for capacitive touch sensing. The touch sensor () also includes a transparent cover (). The touch sensor () also includes a transparent piezoelectric film () arranged between the transparent cover () and the first and second electrodes (). The touch sensor () also includes a patterned counter electrode () disposed between the transparent piezoelectric film () and the transparent cover (). The patterned counter electrode () is a conductive grid formed from the union of plurality of counter electrode line elements (). A pitch of the counter electrode line elements () is larger than a pitch of the first electrodes () and/or second electrodes ().

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Cambridge, United Kingdom

Constantinos Tsangarides