Google Inc.

Motorola Corporation

Motorola Mobility LLC

Motorla Mobility LLC

Google Technology Holdings LLC

Michael Olley

Mark Frederick Valentine

David B Cranfill

Dale F Bengtson

John Joseph Gorsica

Hong Zhao

Dodge Daverman

Chris J Grivas

Itisha C Deokar

Daniel J Sadler

Daniel Harley Wagner

Sandeep Vuppu

Eric V Tashakkor

Mark Valentine

Described are methods and devices including a touch sensor layer configured to receive touch input and a force sensor layer stacked with the touch sensor layer, the force sensor layer includes an array of force sensors configured to receive force input. The force sensor array includes individual force sensors. Specific sensors of the disclosed force sensor array are associated with specific locations of the touch screen to add information that can be used to decipher which key is actually being pressed and may avoid falsing. Both a touch signal and a force signal are utilized to determine the validity of a user touch input. In one embodiment each force sensor may operate independently of the others. Particular embodiments are described that utilize a coarse grid to determine valid touch inputs and that make a determination of a centroid location based on a plurality of force sensors to determine valid touch inputs.

Multi-touch force sensing touch-screen devices and methods

Touch sensor panels () have 2-D periodic arrangements of electrodes () connected together forming a plurality of horizontal and vertical logical lines () for measuring X-Y coordinates of a user's touch. Electrodes forming the horizontal logical lines are interleaved with electrodes forming the vertical logical lines. Each of the vertical and horizontal logical lines includes multiple tracks (). The tracks of each logical line are cross connected by in-plane cross connects () formed in the same layer by the same process that is used to form the electrodes. Diamond and square electrode embodiments are described.

Touch sensor panel with in-plane backup bypass connections

A method and apparatus for activating a function of the electronic device is disclosed herewith. The method includes detecting a first input by a motion sensor. Further, the method activates a touch sensor of the electronic device in response to detecting the first input. The method then detects a second input by the motion sensor within a predetermined time period from the first input. Next, the method determines, in response to detecting the second input, whether contact has occurred at the touch sensor and activates a function of the electronic device in response to determining that contact has occurred at the touch sensor when the second input is detected.

Method and apparatus for activating a function of an electronic device

A rechargeable touch sensor equipped device () is adapted to identify () each of multiple external charging devices () by an ID or other information received through an interface () or to infer the identity () based on location information derived from received wireless signals, the time and/or day. The rechargeable touch sensor equipped device () determines () and records () a touch screen operating frequency to be used when coupled to each external charging device () at each battery charge state (or other indication of power draw) and in this way mitigates the adverse effect of variable charger generated noise on the operation of the touch screen.

Adaptive touch sensor control based on identification of attached accessory

A touch sensor integrated with a keyboard spacebar. A touchpad zone can be defined on a portion of a planar surface of a spacebar. The touchpad zone can be configured to detect movement of a human appendage across the touchpad zone, or above the touchpad zone, and generate a corresponding signal from the keyboard that causes corresponding movement of a cursor presented on a display. In another embodiment, a touchpad can be positioned over the spacebar. The touchpad can be slidably engaged to the keyboard to facilitate user positioning of the touchpad over a desired portion of the spacebar.

Touch sensor integrated with a keyboard spacebar

A stylus () is configured for actively interacting with a touch-sensitive interface () by injecting or sinking charge in response to a touch-detection signal emitted from the touch-sensitive interface (). One stylus () includes a stylus body () and a compound tip () extending axially from the stylus body (). The compound tip () can include a center electrode () that is configured to detect electric field variations from the touch-sensitive interface () and a shroud electrode () that is concentrically disposed about the center electrode (). An active circuit () coupled between the center electrode () and the shroud electrode () is configured to apply a gain to the detected electric field variations and to change a potential of the shroud electrode () synchronously with the electric field variations detected by the center electrode ().

Active stylus for use with touch-sensitive interfaces and corresponding method

A capacitive force sensor () includes a substrate () having at least one electrode pair () defining a capacitance disposed thereon. The substrate () is fixed relative to a first plate (). A drive circuit () is configured to apply a voltage relative to a circuit ground () to the electrode pair (). The first plate () is separated from a second plate () that is coupled to circuit ground () by a compliance member (). The compliance member () is configured to oppose a compression force () while allowing the first plate () to physically move relative to the second plate (). A capacitive detection circuit () is then configured to detect a change the capacitance when the compliance member () is compressed. The compression force () is then determined from the change in capacitance and the spring constant of the compliance member ().

Single sided capacitive force sensor for electronic devices

A circuit () for controlling at least one piezoelectric actuator () includes a piezoelectric drive circuit () that generates unidirectional voltage drive signal, also referred to as V, at node (). The piezoelectric actuator drive circuit () includes a boost switcher circuit or charging circuit (), a buck switcher circuit or pulsed current sink discharge circuit () and a control signal generating circuit () that receives an input control signal () from, for example, a keyboard processor or other suitable processor () indicating that the device has requested generation of haptic feedback utilizing the piezoelectric actuator (). The control signal generating circuit () provides at least two pulse-with-modulated control signals, one to control the charging circuit and one to control the discharging circuit to produce the unidirectional voltage drive signal, that in one example is a raised cosine drive signal ().

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Lake Zurich, IL, United States of America

Michael Olley