Google Inc.

Jianxun Wang

Shumin Zhai

Debanjan Mukherjee

Scott Jenson

Igor Markovsky

Haechang Lee

Diego Rivas

A method includes: receiving, in an electronic device having a trackpad, a force signal that a force sensor of the trackpad generates based on a user input at the trackpad; receiving, in the electronic device, a touch signal that a touch sensor of the trackpad generates based on the user input; selecting, by the electronic device and based on at least one of the force signal or the touch signal, a first driver signal waveform from among multiple driver signal waveforms applicable to an actuator coupled to the trackpad; scaling, by the electronic device, the first driver signal waveform into a second driver signal waveform, the scaling based on at least one of the force signal or the touch signal; and generating, by the electronic device, a haptic output in response to the user input by providing the second driver signal waveform to the actuator.

Haptic output for trackpad controlled using force signal and sense signal

Methods and systems for calibrating a haptic system in an electronic device are provided. The calibration of the haptic system may be performed in a facility prior to a shipment to a user. The calibration may also be performed by a user prior to or after his/her use of the haptic system in the electronic device over time. A method for performing a calibration process in an electronic device includes generating a drive signal from a haptic driver in a haptic system disposed in an electronic device, transmitting the drive signal to an actuator in the haptic system, detecting a back Electromotive Force (bEMF) signal from the actuator in the haptic system, analyzing an output waveform from the bEMF signal, and adjusting a scale of the drive signal generated from the haptic driver.

Factory and user calibration of haptic systems

A computing device can include a cover, a texture haptics layer adjacent to the cover, a display layer adjacent to the texture haptics layer, an impact haptics layer adjacent to the display layer, a controller, and a housing enclosing the controller and supporting the cover, the texture haptics layer, the display layer, and the impact haptics layer. The controller can be configured to activate the texture haptics layer in response to an object moving along the cover, control an image presented by the display layer, and activate the impact haptics layer in response to the object contacting the cover.

Controlling haptic response to contact

According to one aspect, a computer-implemented method for detecting an earthquake includes detecting vibrations in a trackpad of a computing device using an inductive element and force sensing circuitry of the trackpad and, processing, by a microcontroller of the computing device, the vibrations for detection of an earthquake vibration signal. In response to detecting the earthquake vibration signal, communicating, by the computing device, the earthquake vibration signal to a remote server and receiving, at the computing device, an earthquake alert from the remote server.

Trackpad with force sensing circuitry and cloud-based earthquake detection

According to one aspect, a trackpad includes: a substrate; a stiffener plate; a circuit board between the substrate and the stiffener plate, the circuit board comprising position detecting circuitry configured to detect a position of an object adjacent the substrate, the circuit board including an inductive element; a grounding element that electrically connects the stiffener plate and the circuit board to each other; and force sensing circuitry configured to detect force applied to the substrate, the force detected using the inductive element.

Trackpad with force sensing circuitry

An electronic device including an actuator and a driving circuit electrically coupled to the actuator. The driving circuit can be configured to determine a resonance frequency of the actuator and deliver a driving frequency matching the resonance frequency to the actuator, as well as a driving voltage. The electronic device also includes a memory and a processor. The processor can determine the presence of a force applied to the electronic device based on the resonance frequency of the actuator. Based on determining a force is being applied to the electronic device, the processor can execute a predetermined function of the electronic device.

Use of actuator as sensor for input

A method includes: placing a first physical object at each of a first plurality of locations on a trackpad; while the first object is at each of the first plurality of locations, registering respective first readings from each of a second plurality of force sensors of the trackpad, the first plurality greater than the second plurality; selecting a first plurality of sensitivity parameters for the trackpad based at least in part on the first readings; and providing the first plurality of sensitivity parameters to force sensing circuitry of the trackpad, the force sensing circuitry coupled to the second plurality of force sensors.

Calibration of trackpad

An amplitude of a braking portion of a waveform of a driving voltage signal for a linear resonant actuator can be determined. A measure of a characteristic of the linear resonant actuator can be obtained. The characteristic can be different from a quality factor of the linear resonant actuator. The quality factor can be determined based on the measure of the characteristic. The amplitude of the braking portion of the waveform of the driving voltage signal can be determined based on the quality factor. Data for a driving voltage signal circuitry can be set, based on the amplitude, to cause the driving voltage circuitry to produce the driving voltage signal. The driving voltage signal can have (e.g., define) the waveform in which the braking portion has the amplitude.

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Sunnyvale, CA, United States of America

Jianxun Wang