公开(公告)号：US10754440B2

公开(公告)日：2020-08-25

申请号：US16147384

申请日：2018-09-28

申请人： Apple Inc.

发明人： Yung-Yu Hsu ,  Mingjing Ha ,  Zhiyuan Sun ,  Paul S. Drzaic ,  Anuranjini Pragada ,  George Ho Yin Mak ,  Antonio Y. Layon Halun ,  Wesley W. Zuber

IPC分类号： G06F3/044 ,  G06F3/042 ,  G06F3/041 ,  G06F3/02 ,  H03K17/96 ,  H01H13/7065 ,  H01H13/704 ,  G06F1/16

摘要： Touch sensitive mechanical keyboards and processes for detecting touch events and key depressions on the touch sensitive mechanical keyboard are provided. The touch sensitive mechanical keyboard can include a set of individually depressible mechanical keys having a touch sensitive surface. A touch sensor layer can be disposed on top of a key mechanism and flexible interconnections provided between key segments of the touch sensor layer can allow for depression of the key mechanism of individual keys. In some examples, the flexible interconnections can be formed by patterning a spring-like structure into the touch sensor layer. In some examples, the touch sensor layer can be transparent or include openings to allow a backlight to shine through. In some examples, addressable LED backlighting with buckling interconnects can also be provided to illuminate keycaps of the mechanical keyboard.

公开(公告)号：US11983370B2

公开(公告)日：2024-05-14

申请号：US16938544

申请日：2020-07-24

申请人： Apple Inc.

发明人： Supratik Datta ,  Karan Jain ,  Zhiyuan Sun ,  Ho Hyung Lee ,  Da Yu ,  Wei Lin ,  Nathan K. Gupta ,  Chun-Chih Chang

IPC分类号： G06F3/044 ,  G06F3/041

CPC分类号： G06F3/0446 ,  G06F3/04166 ,  G06F2203/04102

摘要： A two dimensional touch sensor panel can be thermoformed or curved by another process to a three-dimensional touch sensor panel, and the three-dimensional touch sensor panel can be laminated to a three-dimension surface having a highly curved or spherical shape. In some examples, thermoforming a two-dimensional touch sensor panel into a three-dimensional touch sensor panel can result in strain of the touch electrodes, and can result in non-uniform three-dimensional touch electrodes (distortion of the two-dimensional touch electrode pattern). The strain can be a function of the curved touch-sensitive surface and/or process related mechanical strain from thermoforming. In some examples, a three-dimensional touch sensor panel can be formed with uniform area touch electrodes using a two-dimensional touch sensor panel pattern with non-uniform area touch electrodes in accordance with the strain pattern expected for a given curved surface and thermoforming technique.

公开(公告)号：US20240077968A1

公开(公告)日：2024-03-07

申请号：US18240100

申请日：2023-08-30

申请人： Apple Inc.

发明人： Zhiyuan Sun ,  Wei Lin ,  Ying-da Wang ,  Chun-Chih Chang ,  Nathan K. Gupta ,  Travis N. Owens ,  Karan S. Jain ,  Supratik Datta ,  Kyle J. Campiotti

IPC分类号： G06F3/041 ,  H04R1/10

CPC分类号： G06F3/0414 ,  H04R1/1041

摘要： An electronic device has sensors. More particularly, the electronic device is a small form factor electronic device such as earbuds, styluses, or electronic pencils, earphones, and so on. In some implementations, one or more touch sensors and one or more force sensors are coupled to a flexible circuit. In various implementations, the touch sensor and the force sensor are part of a single module controlled by a single controller. In a number of implementations, the flexible circuit is laminated to one or more portions of an interior surface of the electronic device.