Google Inc.

Tong Wu

Ivan Poupyrev

Adam Bernstein

Brendon Allen Beardsley

Shiho Fukuhara

Kishore Sundara-Rajan

Mustafa Emre Karagozler

Munehiko Sato

Xiaoyu Guo

Bryan Allen

Shozo Harada

Mark Anthony Zarich

An interactive cord can include a plurality of non-conductive lines and a plurality of conductive lines arranged together in a first longitudinal portion to form a touch-sensitive area within a first longitudinal portion of the interactive cord. A non-touch-sensitive area can be formed in a second longitudinal portion such in which the plurality of conductive lines is not exposed along an outer surface of the outer layer. The plurality of conductive lines can be arranged together with the one or more of the plurality of non-conductive lines within a third longitudinal portion. The second longitudinal portion can be arranged between the first longitudinal portion and the third longitudinal portion with respect to a longitudinal direction of the interactive cord. The third longitudinal portion can be open along the longitudinal direction to form a pair longitudinal edges of the outer layer that extend in the longitudinal direction of the interactive cord.

Touch-sensitive cord

A sensor system includes a touch sensor having a plurality of conductive sensing elements integrated with a flexible substrate. A first subset of sensing elements is coupled to a first side of the flexible substrate and a second subset of sensing elements is coupled to a second side of the flexible substrate. At least one sensing element of the first subset overlies a second sensing element and a third sensing element of the second subset. The sensor system is configured to obtain touch data based at least in part on a respective response to the touch input by the plurality of conductive sensing elements. The sensor system is configured to determine whether the touch input is associated with the first subset of conductive sensing elements or the second subset of conductive sensing elements based at least in part on the respective response to the touch input by the sensing elements.

Touch sensor with overlapping sensing elements for input surface differentiation

An interactive cord system can include sensing circuitry coupled to a system ground and an interactive cord. The interactive cord can include a plurality of non-conductive lines a plurality of conductive sensing lines at least partially woven with one or more of the plurality of non-conductive lines to form at least one touch-sensitive area along the interactive cord and one or more conductive grounding lines electrically connected with the system ground and extending at least partially along an outer portion of the interactive cord.

Interactive cord with improved capacitive touch sensing

A pre-fabricated sensor assembly for an interactive object including an object substrate is provided. The pre-fabricated sensor assembly includes a touch sensor comprising a plurality of flexible sensing elements, a first electronics module comprising sensing circuitry in electrical communication with the plurality of flexible sensing elements, a communication interface comprising a first end portion coupled to the first electronics module and comprising a second end portion, a receptacle coupled to the second end portion of the communication interface, and one or more flexible retaining layers that define a housing for a first portion of the pre-fabricated sensor assembly. The first portion of the pre-fabricated sensor assembly can include at least a portion of each of the plurality of flexible sensing elements.

Pre-fabricated sensor assembly for interactive objects

A sensor system includes a touch sensor having a plurality of conductive sensing elements integrated with a flexible substrate. A first subset of sensing elements is coupled to a first side of the flexible substrate and a second subset of sensing elements is coupled to a second side of the flexible substrate. The sensor system is configured to obtain touch data associated with a touch input to the touch sensor. The touch data is based at least in part on a respective response to the touch input by the plurality of conductive sensing elements. The sensor system is configured to determine whether the touch input is associated with the first subset of conductive sensing elements or the second subset of conductive sensing elements based at least in part on the respective response to the touch input by the sensing elements.

Touch sensors for interactive objects with input surface differentiation

Systems and methods for interactive objects including illuminated surfaces are provided. An interactive object includes a flexible substrate comprising a soft material that is non-transmissive to light. The interactive object includes a plurality of holes extending from an inside surface of the flexible substrate to an outside surface of the flexible substrate to form a light-transmissive pattern at one or more locations of the flexible substrate. An illuminated surface is positioned adjacent to the inside surface of the flexible substrate with its front surface extending along at least a portion of the inside surface of the flexible substrate at the one or more locations including the plurality of holes. The interactive object includes one or more electronic components electrically coupled to the illuminated surface to control the illuminated surface to provide a visual output.

Interactive object having light-transmissive pattern with controlled hole-shape

Systems and methods for interactive objects including conductive lines are provided. An interactive object may comprise a capacitive touch sensor comprising two or more non-crossing conductive lines that form at least a first conductive line pattern. The first conductive line pattern may comprise a first, second, and third sequence of the two or more non-crossing conductive lines relative to a respective first, second, and third input direction. The interactive object may be configured to detect touch input to the capacitive touch sensor based on a change in capacitance associated with the two or more non-crossing conductive lines, identify at least one of the first, second, or third line sequence based on the touch input to the capacitive touch sensor, and determine a respective gesture corresponding to the first, second, or third sequence of two or more non-crossing conductive lines.

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Mountain View, CA, United States of America

Tong Wu