Apple Inc.

Ramachandran Chundru

Robert Steinfeld

Tang Yew Tan

Daniel William Jarvis

Benjamin J Pope

Kurt R Stiehl

Shayan Malek

Victor Manuel Tiscareno

Stanley Rabu

Ida Y Lo

Craig Lim

John Z Zhong

Steven Porter Hotelling

Richard Hung Minh Dinh

Sawyer Isaac Cohen

Sumant Ranganathan

Ashutosh Yugesh Shukla

Sunggu Kang

Marwan Rammah

Tyler B Cater

Richard Hung Dinh

Chun-Hao Tung

Albert Lin

Hao Zhang

Vivek Katiyar

Ashray Vinayak Gogte

Sudip Mondal

Wencong Zhu

Hui Zhou

Viswa B Pilla

Alexander A Penn

Touch sensor configurations for reducing electrostatic discharge events in the border area of a touch sensor panel is disclosed. Touch sensors (e.g., electrodes formed on the cover material and/or the opaque mask) can be susceptible to certain events such as arcing and discharge/joule heating, which may negatively affect touch sensor performance. Examples of the disclosure can include increasing the trace width, spacing, and/or thickness in the border area relative to the trace width, spacing, and/or thickness in the visible/active area along one or more sides of the touch sensor panel. In some examples, touch electrodes can be located exclusively in the visible/active areas along one or more sides of the touch sensor panel, while dummy sections can be included in both the border and visible/active areas. Additionally or alternatively, one or more gaps between adjacent touch electrodes in the border area or serpentine routing can be included.

Back of cover touch sensors

An electronic device includes a tactile switch assembly. The tactile switch assembly includes a tactile switch structure. A grounding structure can be included in an electrostatic discharge path in the tactile switch structure. The grounding structure can result in a shorter electrostatic discharge path that minimizes damage caused by an electrostatic discharge event. Additionally, different grounding connectors are disclosed that can attach to a grounded component in the electronic device and to a tactile switch bracket associated with the tactile switch assembly. The grounding connector provides a grounding connection to the tactile switch bracket.

Grounding connections in a tactile switch assembly

To avoid undesirable electrostatic discharge events while maintaining low leakage currents, earbuds may be provided with controlled electrostatic discharge paths. The discharge paths may include discrete components such as resistors or more distributed resistive components such as resistive elastomers. A resistive elastomer may be incorporated into an interior portion of an earbud between an earbud housing structure and a ground path. A resistive elastomer may also be used in forming an ear bud tip.

Earbuds with electrostatic discharge protection

Various systems of an electronic deice and methods for manufacturing the same are provided. In some embodiments, a routing assembly is provided that may not only route a cable along a circuit board, but that may also shield and electronic component or secure an electronic component to the circuit board. In some other embodiments, there is provided a mechanism for electrically coupling two components of an electronic device that may also be visually appealing in the context of other portions of the electronic device.

Systems of an electronic device and methods for manufacturing the same

Various systems of an electronic device and methods for manufacturing the same are provided. In some embodiments, a routing assembly is provided that may not only route a cable along a circuit board, but that may also shield an electronic component or secure an electronic component to the circuit board. In some other embodiments, there is provided a mechanism for electrically coupling two components of an electronic device that may also be visually appealing in the context of other portions of the electronic device.

Growing community of inventors

Cupertino, CA, United States of America

Ramachandran Chundru