Apple Inc.

David Steven Graff

Baboo V Gowreesunker

Wayne Carl Westerman

John Stephen Smith

Nima Ferdosi

Andrew W Joyce

Pavan Gupta

Albert Lin

Behrooz Shahsavari

Julian K Shutzberg

Hojjat Seyed Mousavi

Christophe Blondin

Sai Zhang

Dor Shaviv

Mo Li

Shahrzad Pouryayevali

Ahmed Zoubir

Yash S Agarwal

Benedict Drevniok

Nicolas M Golzio

Touch sensor panels/screens can include a first region having a plurality of touch electrodes and a second region without touch electrodes. In some examples, to improve touch sensing performance, a first algorithm or a second algorithm is applied to determine whether an object corresponding to the touch patch is in contact with the touch screen. Whether to apply the first algorithm or the second algorithm is optionally dependent on the location of the touch patch.

Systems and methods for touch sensing on devices including regions with and without touch electrodes

An input device includes a keycap, a first electrode disposed to move in response to movement of the keycap, a planar array of electrodes extending at least partially under the keycap, and a sensor. The planar array of electrodes includes a second electrode, a third electrode, and a fourth electrode extending between the second electrode and the third electrode. The sensor is coupled to at least one of the second electrode or the third electrode and configured to generate a signal indicative of a change in capacitive coupling between the second electrode and the third electrode. The change in the capacitive coupling may result from movement of the first electrode.

Keyboard with capacitive key position, key movement, or gesture input sensors

This relates to methods and apparatus for estimating an object profile to improve accuracy of touch sensor panel input (e.g., reducing input position wobble for a stylus or finger translating on a surface over and between electrodes of a touch sensor panel). In some examples, the object profile estimation can begin with an initial profile estimate that can allow the object profile estimation to converge for a large range of possible input object sizes, shapes, distances, and/or orientations. The object profile information can use data from multiple frames of data acquisition as well as multiple pixels in the panel to construct the object profile estimate based on the input measurement. Specifically, the object profile can be estimated by measuring the object at various positions relative to touch pixels or nodes and gaps between touch pixels or nodes over multiple frames of sensor data and combining the measurement data of the multiple frames.

Methods and apparatus for object profile estimation

A device includes a housing defining part of an interior volume and an opening to the interior volume; a cover mounted to the housing to cover the opening and further define the interior volume; a display mounted within the interior volume and viewable through the cover; and a system in package (SiP) mounted within the interior volume. The SiP includes a self-capacitance sense pad adjacent a first surface of the SiP; a set of solder structures attached to a second surface of the SiP, the second surface opposite the first surface; and an IC coupled to the self-capacitance sense pad and configured to output, at one or more solder structures in the set of solder structures, a digital value related to a measured capacitance of the self-capacitance sense pad. The SiP is mounted within the interior volume with the first surface positioned closer to the cover than the second surface.

Force or touch sensing on a mobile device using capacitive or pressure sensing

A force applied to a force-sensing touch screen device may be determined as follows. A deformation sensing layer of the device may measure an actual deformation of a touch screen of the device. A force sensor of the device may measure a sensed force applied by the touch screen to the force sensor of the device. A processor circuit of the device may determine an expected deformation expected to be imparted to the touch screen by the sensed force. The processor circuit may determine a virtual deformation based on the expected deformation due to the sensed force and the measured actual deformation. The virtual deformation may indicate the force applied to the force-sensing touch screen.

Virtual deflection determination for force-sensing

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

David Steven Graff