公开(公告)号：US12183115B2

公开(公告)日：2024-12-31

申请号：US17931458

申请日：2022-09-12

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Qi Wang ,  Jere C. Harrison ,  Mi Hye Shin ,  Yunhan Chen

IPC: G06V40/13 ,  B06B1/06 ,  G01L1/16 ,  G06F1/16 ,  G06F3/043

Abstract: Examples of the disclosure are directed to micro-machined ultrasonic transducers (MUTs) which can be embedded into a flexible band of a watch to detect touch, gestures, physiological signals, and transfer data. In some examples, the MUTs can include a piezoelectric material disposed between two electrodes and coupled to a base material having a plurality of cavities, to support motion of the transducer structure. In some examples, the MUTs can be coupled to multiplexing circuitry to stimulate, configure and control the MUTs. In some examples, the size, shape, and arrangement of transducers can be changed to improve characteristics associated with ultrasonic transmission. In some examples, the MUT array can be driven (e.g., by the CMOS circuitry) to beamform the transmitted and/or the received ultrasonic waves. In some examples, the one or more MUT arrays can be configured to generate haptic feedback via the flexible band.