公开(公告)号：US09880675B2

公开(公告)日：2018-01-30

申请号：US14251304

申请日：2014-04-11

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Steven P. Hotelling ,  Jean-Marie Bussat ,  Benjamin B. Lyon

IPC: G06F3/044 ,  G06F3/041 ,  G06K9/00

CPC classification number: G06F3/044 ,  G06F3/0416 ,  G06K9/0002

Abstract: A capacitive fingerprint sensor that may be formed of an array of sensing elements. Each capacitive sensing element of the array may register a voltage that varies with the capacitance of a capacitive coupling. A finger may capacitively couple to the individual capacitive sensing elements of the sensor, such that the sensor may sense a capacitance between each capacitive sensing element and the flesh of the fingerprint. The capacitance signal may be detected by sensing the change in voltage on the capacitive sensing element as the relative voltage between the finger and the sensing chip is changed. Alternately, the capacitance signal may be detected by sensing the change in charge received by the capacitive sensing elements as the relative voltage between the finger and the sensing chip is changed.

公开(公告)号：US20170344143A1

公开(公告)日：2017-11-30

申请号：US15681215

申请日：2017-08-18

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Brian Q. Huppi ,  Martin P. Grunthaner ,  John G. Elias ,  Sinan Filiz ,  Steven P. Hotelling

IPC: G06F3/043 ,  G06F3/0488 ,  G06F3/041 ,  G06F3/044

CPC classification number: G06F3/043 ,  G06F3/0414 ,  G06F3/044 ,  G06F3/04883 ,  G06F2203/04104 ,  G06F2203/04106 ,  G06F2203/04808

Abstract: An input/output device for a computing device including one or more touch sensors and one or more force sensors. The touch sensors sense data including one or more locations at which a contact or near-contact occurs. The force sensor sense data including a measure of an amount of force presented at the one or more locations at which a contact occurs. The touch sensors and the force sensors responsive to signals occurring in response to whether the signals are in response to contact or in response to an amount of force. The input/output device also includes one or more circuits coupled to the touch sensors and to the force sensors, and capable of combining information from both sensors.

公开(公告)号：US09791958B2

公开(公告)日：2017-10-17

申请号：US15403034

申请日：2017-01-10

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Bingrui Yang ,  Martin P. Grunthaner ,  Steven P. Hotelling

IPC: G06F3/041 ,  G06F3/045 ,  G06F3/044 ,  H04M1/725 ,  H04M1/02 ,  G01L1/22 ,  G06F3/047

CPC classification number: G06F3/0414 ,  G01L1/22 ,  G01L1/2262 ,  G06F3/0418 ,  G06F3/044 ,  G06F3/045 ,  G06F3/047 ,  G06F2203/04102 ,  G06F2203/04105 ,  H03K17/9625 ,  H04M1/0266 ,  H04M1/7258 ,  H04M1/72583

Abstract: An electronic device may have a housing in which components such as a display are mounted. A strain gauge may be mounted on a layer of the display such as a cover layer or may be mounted on a portion of the housing or other support structure. The layer of material on which the strain gauge is mounted may be configured to flex in response to pressure applied by a finger of a user. The strain gauge may serve as a button for the electronic device or may form part of other input circuitry. A differential amplifier and analog-to-digital converter circuit may be used to gather and process strain gauge signals. The strain gauge may be formed form variable resistor structures that make up part of a bridge circuit that is coupled to the differential amplifier. The bridge circuit may be configured to reduce the impact of capacitively coupled noise.

公开(公告)号：US20170235403A1

公开(公告)日：2017-08-17

申请号：US15585074

申请日：2017-05-02

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Thayne M. Miller ,  Jean-Marie Bussat ,  Steven P. Hotelling ,  Sawyer I. Cohen ,  Tyler B. Cater

IPC: G06F3/041 ,  G06K9/00

CPC classification number: G06K9/0002 ,  H03K17/962 ,  H03K17/975 ,  H03K2217/960755

Abstract: Input members with capacitive sensors are disclosed. In one embodiment of an electronic button, a first circuit is configured to capture a fingerprint of a user's finger placed on the electronic button, and a second circuit is configured to sense a force applied to the electronic button by the user's finger. The first circuit is further configured to provide temperature information to compensate for temperature sensitivities of the second circuit, and the second circuit is further configured to provide force information to the first circuit.

公开(公告)号：US09600113B2

公开(公告)日：2017-03-21

申请号：US14952664

申请日：2015-11-25

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Steven P. Hotelling ,  Joshua G. Wurzel ,  Steven J. Martisauskas ,  Thayne M. Miller ,  Kuo-Hua Sung

IPC: H01L27/32 ,  G06F1/16 ,  G06F3/041 ,  G02F1/1333 ,  H05K1/02 ,  H05K1/14

CPC classification number: G06F3/0412 ,  G02F1/13338 ,  G06F1/1643 ,  G06F1/1658 ,  H01L27/323 ,  H05K1/028 ,  H05K1/147

Abstract: Flexible circuits for routing signals of a device, such as a touch sensor panel of a touch sensitive device, are provided. The flexible circuit can include a first set of traces for routing a first set of lines and a second set of traces for routing a second set of lines. The first set of traces can couple together the ends of at least a portion of the first set of lines. Additionally, the first set of traces can be non-intersecting or non-overlapping with the second set of traces. The flexible circuit can have a T-shape configuration and can be incorporated within a touch sensitive device, display device, printed circuit board, or the like. The flexible circuit can be placed over another flexible circuit, and can extend onto the device.

公开(公告)号：US09354761B2

公开(公告)日：2016-05-31

申请号：US14738648

申请日：2015-06-12

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Steven P. Hotelling ,  Shih Chang Chang ,  Lili Huang ,  John Z. Zhong

IPC: G06F3/044 ,  G02F1/1333 ,  G02F1/1343 ,  G02F1/1362 ,  G06F3/041 ,  G09G3/36 ,  G06F3/01 ,  G02F1/139 ,  G02F1/136

CPC classification number: G06F3/044 ,  G02F1/13338 ,  G02F1/134363 ,  G02F1/136213 ,  G02F1/136286 ,  G02F1/1393 ,  G02F2001/133388 ,  G02F2001/13606 ,  G02F2001/136218 ,  G02F2201/40 ,  G06F3/017 ,  G06F3/0412 ,  G06F3/0416 ,  G06F2203/04101 ,  G06F2203/04103 ,  G06F2203/04107 ,  G06F2203/04111 ,  G06F2203/04112 ,  G06F2203/04808 ,  G09G3/36

Abstract: A touch screen including display pixels with capacitive elements is provided. The touch screen includes first common voltage lines connecting capacitive elements in adjacent display pixels, and a second common voltage line connecting first common voltage lines. Groups of pixels can be formed as electrically separated regions by including breaks in the common voltage lines. The regions can include a drive region that is stimulated by stimulation signals, a sense region that receives sense signals corresponding to the stimulation signals. A grounded region can also be included, for example, between a sense region and a drive region. A shield layer can be formed of a substantially high resistance material and disposed to shield a sense region. A black mask line and conductive line under the black mask line can be included, for example, to provide low-resistance paths between a region of pixels and touch circuitry outside the touch screen borders.

公开(公告)号：US09348475B2

公开(公告)日：2016-05-24

申请号：US14323788

申请日：2014-07-03

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Steven P. Hotelling ,  John Z. Zhong

IPC: G06F3/045 ,  G09G3/36 ,  G06F3/044 ,  G02F1/1343 ,  G06F3/041

CPC classification number: G06F3/044 ,  G02F1/134363 ,  G06F3/0412 ,  G06F2203/04104 ,  G06F2203/04112

Abstract: This relates to adding multi-touch functionality to a display without the need of a separate multi-touch panel or layer overlaying the display. Instead, embodiments of the invention can advantageously utilize existing display circuitry to provide multi-touch functionality while adding relatively little circuitry that is specific to the multi-touch functionality. Thus, by sharing circuitry for the display and the multi-touch functionalities, embodiments of the invention can be implemented at a lower cost than the alternative of superimposing additional multi-touch related layers onto an existing display panel. Furthermore, since the display and multi-touch functionality can be implemented on the same circuit, they can be synchronized so that noise resulting from the display functionality does not detrimentally affect the multi-touch functionality and vice versa.

公开(公告)号：US20160103542A1

公开(公告)日：2016-04-14

申请号：US14972041

申请日：2015-12-16

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Charley T. Ogata ,  Martin P. Grunthaner ,  Michael B. Wittenberg ,  Peter W. Richards ,  Romain A. Teil ,  Steven P. Hotelling

IPC: G06F3/041 ,  G06F3/044

CPC classification number: G06F3/0414 ,  G06F1/1643 ,  G06F3/03547 ,  G06F3/0412 ,  G06F3/0416 ,  G06F3/044 ,  G06F2203/04105

Abstract: A force-sensitive device for electronic device. The force inputs may be detected by measuring changes in capacitance, as measured by surface flex of a device having a flexible touchable surface, causing flex at a compressible gap within the device. A capacitive sensor responsive to changes in distance across the compressible gap. The sensor can be positioned above or below, or within, a display element, and above or below, or within, a backlight unit. The device can respond to bending, twisting, or other deformation, to adjust those zero force measurements. The device can use measure of surface flux that appear at positions on the surface not directly the subject of applied force, such as when the user presses on a part of the frame or a surface without capacitive sensors.

公开(公告)号：US20160098131A1

公开(公告)日：2016-04-07

申请号：US14616059

申请日：2015-02-06

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Charley T. Ogata ,  Martin P. Grunthaner ,  Michael B. Wittenberg ,  Peter W. Richards ,  Romain A. Teil ,  Steven P. Hotelling

IPC: G06F3/041 ,  G06F1/16

Abstract: A force-sensitive device for electronic device. The force inputs may be detected by measuring changes in capacitance, as measured by surface flex of a device having a flexible touchable surface, causing flex at a compressible gap within the device. A capacitive sensor responsive to changes in distance across the compressible gap. The sensor can be positioned above or below, or within, a display element, and above or below, or within, a backlight unit. The device can respond to bending, twisting, or other deformation, to adjust those zero force measurements. The device can use measure of surface flux that appear at positions on the surface not directly the subject of applied force, such as when the user presses on a part of the frame or a surface without capacitive sensors.

Abstract translation: 电子装置的力敏装置。 力输入可以通过测量电容的变化来检测，如通过具有柔性可触摸表面的装置的表面弯曲所测量的，导致在装置内的可压缩间隙处的挠曲。 响应于可压缩间隙的距离变化的电容式传感器。 传感器可以位于显示元件的上方或下方，或者位于背光单元的上方或下方或之内。 该装置可以响应弯曲，扭曲或其他变形，以调整这些零力测量。 该装置可以使用出现在表面上的位置处的测量，而不是直接施加力的对象，例如当用户按压在框架的一部分上或没有电容传感器的表面时。

公开(公告)号：US20160062530A1

公开(公告)日：2016-03-03

申请号：US14742500

申请日：2015-06-17

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Brian Q. Huppi ,  Martin P. Grunthaner ,  John G. Elias ,  Sinan Filiz ,  Steven P. Hotelling

IPC: G06F3/041 ,  G06F3/0488 ,  G06F3/043

CPC classification number: G06F3/0414 ,  G06F3/023 ,  G06F3/0412 ,  G06F3/0416 ,  G06F3/043 ,  G06F3/0488 ,  G06F3/04886 ,  G06F2203/04106 ,  G06F2203/04808

Abstract: An electronic device that senses home button inputs through ultrasonic force sensing. The electronic device may correlate that amount of force that a user applies to the home button with a specific home button command. In certain embodiments, the system may combine the force of touch information with other information that is sensed for a particular touch to correlate the touch input with a greater number of home button commands. A home button embodiment discussed herein may include a home button image that is displayed on a touch sensitive panel. In other embodiments, a home button may be located outside of the boundaries of a touch sensitive panel.

Abstract translation: 通过超声波力感测感应家庭按钮输入的电子设备。 电子设备可以将用户应用于家庭按钮的力量与特定的家庭按钮命令相关联。 在某些实施例中，系统可以将触摸信息的力与针对特定触摸感测到的触摸输入与更多数量的主页按钮命令相关联的其他信息组合。 本文讨论的家庭按钮实施例可以包括显示在触摸敏感面板上的家庭按钮图像。 在其他实施例中，主按钮可以位于触敏面板的边界之外。