Apple Inc.

Shingo Yoneoka

Denis G Chen

Jonah Alexander Harley

Arman Hajati

Hari Vasudevan

Brenton A Baugh

Alex M Lee

Riccardo Tarelli

Brett W Degner

Storrs Townsend Hoen

Aidan N Zimmerman

Fu-Ying Huang

Parin Patel

Kevin M Robinson

Qiliang Xu

Darya Amin-Shahidi

Jia Tao

Xiaonan Wen

Scott J McEuen

Scott D Ridel

Mi Hye Shin

Chi Kin Ho

Adriane S Niehaus

Tristan R Hudson

Yumeng Liu

Xin Alice Wu

Jonathan A Gordon

Matthew Thomas Metzler

Chun Chit Lam

Kathryn K Wopat

Eric M Innis

Michael S Weinstein

Matthew N Weege

Eileen A Mazzochette

Domenico Geria

Peteris J Augenbergs

Songsheng Zhou

A software defined button includes a force sensor and a haptic output element. The button further includes an immutable logic core and a mutable logic core. The mutable logic core is configured to define one or more thresholds against which input received from the force sensor can be compared to determine whether a user input has been provided. The immutable logic core is configured to verify actual force input has been received when the mutable logic core signals that user input has been received. In response to receiving a verified force input, the haptic output element can be caused to be driven by one of the mutable or immutable logic cores to provide a haptic output to a user.

Secure integrated circuit for smart haptics

A haptic actuator may include a base, a field member coupled to the base and that may include spaced apart permanent magnets. The haptic actuator may also include a coil having a loop shape defining a slotted opening therein, and a spring member suspending the coil so that the field member is within the slotted opening and permitting relative movement of the field member and the coil.

Haptic actuator including field member within slotted opening of suspended coil and related methods

A linear resonant actuator includes a ferritic tube, a movable mass, first and second flexures, and a set of one or more flexures. The ferritic tube has an axis extending from a first end of the ferritic tube to a second end of the ferritic tube. The movable mass has a set of magnet sections disposed along the axis. First and second flexures mechanically couple first and second ends of the movable mass to the ferritic tube. The flexures suspend the movable mass within the ferritic tube and allow movement of the movable mass along the axis. The electric coil(s) are attached to the ferritic tube and extend around the movable mass, between the ferritic tube and the movable mass. Each magnet section has magnetic poles disposed at different positions along the axis, and like magnetic poles of adjacent magnetic sections face each other.

Axisymmetric linear resonant actuators

A haptic engine includes a haptic actuator having a double-wound driving coil in which the two windings are connected with each other either in series or in parallel. By using the double-wound driving coil in which the two windings are connected with each other in series, an instant back EMF voltage induced in either of the two windings can be determined without having to measure in real time a resistance of the corresponding winding, and without having to sense a driving current through the double-wound driving coil. By using the double-wound driving coil in which the two windings are connected with each other in parallel, an instant back EMF voltage induced in either of the two windings can be determined without having to measure in real time a resistance of the corresponding winding.

Haptic actuator having a double-wound driving coil for temperature- and driving current-independent velocity sensing

A notebook computer may include a display portion, a base portion, a hinge mechanism movably coupling the display portion to the base portion, an optical sensing system configured to capture an image of an object, an actuation system comprising a shape-memory alloy member coupled to the base portion and the display portion and configured to move the display portion relative to the base portion, and a processing system. The processing system may be configured to determine a target position for the display portion based at least in part on a location of the object in the image and cause the actuation system to actuate the hinge mechanism to move the display portion, relative to the base portion, from an initial position to the target position.

Self-actuating hinge mechanism for electronic device

A haptic engine for measuring displacement of the haptic engine's mass uses a single sensing magnet that is carried by the mass along a driving direction. The haptic engine further uses two or more Hall-effect sensors, which are spaced apart (i) from each other along a direction parallel to the driving direction and (ii) from the single sensing magnet along a direction orthogonal to the driving direction, and are disposed adjacent to an ASIC that receives the sensors' output.

Haptic engine having a single sensing magnet and multiple hall-effect sensors

A system for providing closed-loop control of a linear resonant actuator using Back Electromotive Force (EMF) and inertial compensation is disclosed. In an embodiment, one or more inertial sensors are used to estimate low frequency motion of a haptic engine moving mass and compensate for the motion using a feedforward model, thus providing a more robust closed-loop control system for controlling the moving mass when subjected to low frequency disturbances by a user, for example, shaking or swinging the device.

Closed-loop control of linear resonant actuator using back EMF and inertial compensation

A haptic engine in which a moving coil structure is powered by a suspended flexible printed circuit having multiple traces.

Haptic engine having moving coil structure powered by suspended flexible printed circuit with multiple traces

A wearable electronic device may include a wearable band and audio output transducers carried by the wearable band. The wearable electronic device may also include respective haptic actuators carried by the wearable band and adjacent respective ones of the audio output transducers. A drive circuit may be configured to concurrently drive the audio output transducers with respective first drive signals, and drive the haptic actuators with respective second drive signals different than the first drive signals.

Wearable electronic device including audio output transducer and haptic actuator driving and related methods

An electromagnetic actuator provides haptic feedback in a computing device. The electromagnetic actuator includes an actuator gap between the moveable actuator plate and the actuator. A gap sensor measures the actuation gap between the force plate and the actuator. The gap distance between the moveable actuator plate and the actuator may vary due to various environmental or user factors. The amount of haptic feedback provided to a user may be made consistent by adjusting the force exerted by the actuator on the actuator plate in response to measured variations in the gap distance.

Gap sensor for haptic feedback assembly

An electronic device may include a device housing and a haptic actuator carried by the device housing and that includes a haptic actuator housing and a field member movable within the haptic actuator housing. The electronic device may also include a motion sensor carried by the device housing to sense motion of the field member, an audio sensor carried by the device housing to sense audio noise from the haptic actuator, and a controller coupled to the haptic actuator, the motion sensor, and the audio sensor. The controller may be configured to drive the haptic actuator based upon sensed motion of the field member and audio noise from the haptic actuator.

Electronic device including haptic actuator driven based upon audio noise and motion and related methods

Embodiments disclosed herein relate generally to a stylus for use with a portable electronic device. The stylus includes a force sensing device to measure three dimensional force components exerted by the stylus on the portable electronic device. The output of the portable electronic device is adjusted based upon the force components.

Force-sensing stylus for use with electronic devices

A haptic actuator may include a housing, at least one coil carried by the housing, a field member movable within the housing responsive to the at least one coil, and at least one mechanical limit stop between the housing and the field member. The haptic actuator may also include circuitry capable of generating a pulse width modulated (PWM) waveform for the at least one coil to move the field member from an initial at-rest position and without contacting the at least one mechanical limit stop.

Haptic actuator including pulse width modulated waveform based movement for overcoming resting inertia and related methods

A haptic actuator may include a housing, at least one permanent magnet carried by the housing, a field member movable within the housing and comprising at least one coil cooperating with the at least one permanent magnet, and at least one mechanical limit stop between the housing and the field member. The haptic actuator may also include circuitry capable of generating a pulse width modulated (PWM) waveform for the at least one coil to move the field member from an initial at-rest position and without contacting the at least one mechanical limit stop.

Growing community of inventors

Sunnyvale, CA, United States of America

Shingo Yoneoka