Kateeva, Inc.

Apple Inc.

Tacta Systems Inc.

Nahid Harjee

Eliyahu Vronsky

Conor Francis Madigan

Lucas David Barkley

Christopher R Hauf

Alexander Sou-Kang Ko

Gregory Lewis

Brian R Twehues

Teera Songatikamas

Justin Mauck

Christopher Buchner

Eugene Rabinovich

Michael Baker

Valerie Gassend

Travis N Owens

Douglas Bacon

Aonan Li

Kyle J Campiotti

Andreas Bibl

Paul Xiaopeng Wang

Alex Joseph Lehmann

Qiliang Xu

Vikram Pavate

Brenton A Baugh

Pavan Gupta

Blake R Marshall

Wesley William Zuber

Xiaofan Niu

Daniel J Bechstein

Henry N Tsao

Dariusz Golda

Nathaniel M Parnell

David Weisberg

Eliyahu Vronksky

An ink jet process is used to deposit a material layer to a desired thickness. Layout data is converted to per-cell grayscale values, each representing ink volume to be locally delivered. The grayscale values are used to generate a halftone pattern to deliver variable ink volume (and thickness) to the substrate. The halftoning provides for a relatively continuous layer (e.g., without unintended gaps or holes) while providing for variable volume and, thus, contributes to variable ink/material buildup to achieve desired thickness. The ink is jetted as liquid or aerosol that suspends material used to form the material layer, for example, an organic material used to form an encapsulation layer for a flat panel device. The deposited layer is then cured or otherwise finished to complete the process.

Fabrication of thin-film encapsulation layer for light-emitting device

A repeatable manufacturing process uses a printer to deposits liquid for each product carried by a substrate to form respective thin films. The liquid is dried, cured or otherwise processed to form from the liquid a permanent layer of each respective product. To perform printing, each newly-introduced substrate is roughly mechanically aligned, with an optical system detecting sub-millimeter misalignment, and with software correcting for misalignment. Rendering of adjusted data is performed such that nozzles are variously assigned dependent on misalignment to deposit droplets in a regulated manner, to ensure precise deposition of liquid for each given area of the substrate. For example, applied to the manufacture of flat panel displays, software ensures that exactly the right amount of liquid is deposited for each 'pixel' of the display, to minimize likelihood of visible discrepancies in the resultant display.

Techniques for arrayed printing of a permanent layer with improved speed and accuracy

An ink printing process employs per-nozzle droplet volume measurement and processing software that plans droplet combinations to reach specific aggregate ink fills per target region, guaranteeing compliance with minimum and maximum ink fills set by specification. In various embodiments, different droplet combinations are produced through different print head/substrate scan offsets, offsets between print heads, the use of different nozzle drive waveforms, and/or other techniques. Optionally, patterns of fill variation can be introduced so as to mitigate observable line effects in a finished display device. The disclosed techniques have many other possible applications.

Nozzle-droplet combination techniques to deposit fluids in substrate locations within precise tolerances

A stylus includes a housing that defines a force input surface opposite a touch input surface. A spring member in the housing includes a first arm that biases a touch sensor toward the touch input surface. The spring member also includes a second arm that biases a first force electrode toward the housing and allows the first force electrode to move toward a second force electrode when a force is applied to the force input surface. A non-binary amount of the force is determinable using a change in a mutual capacitance between the first force electrode and the second force electrode. The mutual capacitance between the first force electrode and the second force electrode may be measured upon detecting a touch using the touch sensor.

Force-activated stylus

A wearable device may include an article configured to be worn by a user and a sensor array coupled with the article. The sensor array may be configured to obtain force data, among other data. A system can receive information generated by the wearable device utilized to perform a task. The information may include motion data indicating a motion of the wearable device and the force data indicating a force applied to the wearable device. The force data may be obtained from the sensor array generating digital outputs. The system can control a robotic device to perform a robotic motion based on the motion data and apply a robotic force based on the force data to repeat the task. The robotic device may include a sensor array to determine a force applied to the robotic device for controlling the robotic force. Other aspects are also described and claimed.

Tactile robotic training platform

An earphone includes a speaker housing; a speaker positioned in the speaker housing; a stem extending from the speaker housing, the stem defining an input surface; a conductive object disposed within the stem; a flexible circuit positioned between the stem and the conductive object; a member positioned between the flexible circuit and the conductive object operable to allow the flexible circuit to move with respect to the stem; a force sensor electrode disposed within the flexible circuit; and a controller operable to determine an input to the earphone using a change in capacitance detected using the force sensor electrode, the change in capacitance corresponding to a non-binary amount of a force applied to the input surface. In some examples, the earphone further includes a touch sensor electrode disposed within the flexible circuit.

Force-activated earphone

An earphone includes a housing that defines a force input surface opposite a touch input surface. A spring member in the housing includes a first arm that biases a touch sensor toward the touch input surface. The spring member also includes a second arm that biases a first force electrode toward the housing and allows the first force electrode to move toward a second force electrode when a force is applied to the force input surface. A non-binary amount of the force is determinable using a change in a mutual capacitance between the first force electrode and the second force electrode. The mutual capacitance between the first force electrode and the second force electrode may be measured upon detecting a touch using the touch sensor.

A stylus input device can allow a user to interface with an external electronic device. The stylus can provide an additional or alternative input to the external electronic device in response to a user applying a compressive force to the device housing. The stylus can include multiple sensors to provide a signal in response to the compressive force applied to the stylus.

Stylus with compressive force sensor

A capacitive gap force sensor includes a first electrode, a second electrode spaced apart from the first electrode, a first layer of dielectric material positioned between the first electrode and the second electrode, and a second layer of conductive material positioned between the first layer and the second electrode. The first layer has a first compression resistance less than a second compression resistance of the second layer. An effective capacitive sensing gap is defined between the first electrode and the second layer. The first layer is configured to compress or deform and alter the effective capacitive sensing gap when a force is received at the first electrode or the second electrode.

Capacitive gap force sensor with multi-layer fill

Growing community of inventors

Sunnyvale, CA, United States of America

Nahid Harjee