Touch sensing apparatus with dual touch sensors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10551659-B2
Application number	US-201715708120-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 18, 2017
Priority date	Sep 16, 2016
Publication date	Feb 4, 2020
Grant date	Feb 4, 2020

Abstract

A touch sensing apparatus for dual (adjacent) touch buttons (areas) defined on a touch surface (such as a sidewall of a mobile communications device). The apparatus includes first and second touch sensor assemblies, each including a support structure, a mounting structure to mount the touch sensor assembly to the back-side of the surface, and a sense inductor coil disposed on one of the support structure and the mounting structure. The first touch sensor assembly mounted to the back-side of the surface opposite the first touch area. The second touch sensor assembly mounted to the back-side of the surface opposite the second touch area. The touch sensor assembly can be constructed with the sense inductor coil disposed on the support structure, such that deflection of the respective touch area causes the touch surface to deflect toward the sense inductor coil, or with the sense inductor coil is disposed on the mounting structure, such that deflection of the respective touch area causes the touch surface and the sense coil inductor to deflect toward the support structure.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for use in a system with at least adjacent first and second touch input areas defined on a front-side of a touch surface, comprising:
first and second touch sensor assemblies, each including
a support structure, and
a mounting structure to mount the support structure to a back-side of the touch surface, opposite a respective touch input area; and

the first touch sensor assembly mounted at a first back-side area of the back-side of the touch surface opposite the first touch input area, with the associated support structure spaced from the first back-side area by a defined sensing gap; and
the second touch sensor assembly mounted at a second back-side area of the back-side of the touch surface opposite the second touch input area, with the associated support structure spaced from the second back-side area by a defined sensing gap;
for each touch sensor assembly, a sense inductor coil disposed on one of:
the associated support structure, opposite a respective back-side area of the touch surface, opposite a respective touch input area, with the sense inductor coil spaced from the first back-side area by the defined sensing gap, or
the respective back-side area of the touch surface, opposite the respective touch input area, with the associated sense inductor coil spaced from the associated support structure by the defined sensing gap.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein, for each touch sensor assembly:
the associated sense inductor coil is disposed on the associated support structure, opposite a respective back-side area of the touch surface, opposite a respective touch input area, and
deflection of the respective touch input area causes the touch surface to deflect toward the respective sense inductor coil with a localized deflection independent of a non-localized deflection of the surface including both touch input areas.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein, for each touch sensor assembly:
the sense inductor coil is disposed on the associated back-side area of the touch, opposite a respective touch input area, and
deflection of the respective touch input area causes a localized deflection of the touch surface and the sense coil inductor toward the associated support structure.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each sense inductor coil is disposed on a flexible printed circuit board.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein each sense inductor coil is disposed on a dual flexible printed circuit board with separate sense coil mounting sections, a center trace connector.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the touch surface is a device wall of a device with devices walls defining an interior or the device, and with the touch sensor assemblies mounted in the interior or the device.

7. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein each sense inductor coil is coupled to a sensor electronics unit operable to drive the sense inductor coils, measure resulting inductor sense coil signals based on a localized deflection, and generate corresponding touch-press data.

8. A device including a device case with a device wall with at least adjacent first and second touch input areas defined on an exterior-side of the device wall, comprising:
first and second touch sensor assemblies, each including
a support structure, and
a mounting structure to mount the support structure to an interior-side of the device wall, opposite a respective touch input area; and

the first touch sensor assembly mounted at a first interior-side area of the interior-side of the device wall opposite the first touch input area, with the associated support structure spaced from the first interior-side area by a defined sensing gap; and
the second touch sensor assembly mounted at a second interior-side area of the interior-side of the device wall opposite the second touch input area, with the associated support structure spaced from the second interior-side area by a defined sensing gap;
for each touch sensor assembly, a sense inductor coil disposed on one of:
the associated support structure, opposite a respective interior-side area of the device wall, opposite a respective touch input area, with the sense inductor coil spaced from the first interior-side area by the defined sensing gap, or
the respective interior-side area of the device wall, opposite the respective touch input area, with the associated sense inductor coil spaced from the associated support structure by the defined sensing gap.

9. The device of claim 8 , wherein, for each touch sensor assembly:
the associated sense inductor coil is disposed on the associated support structure, opposite a respective interior-side area of the touch surface, opposite a respective touch input area, and
deflection of the respective touch input area causes the touch surface to deflect toward the respective sense inductor coil with a localized deflection independent of a non-localized deflection of the surface including both touch input areas.

10. The device of claim 8 , wherein, for each touch sensor assembly:
the sense inductor coil is disposed on the associated interior-side area of the touch, opposite a respective touch input area, and
deflection of the respective touch input area causes a localized deflection of the touch surface and the sense coil inductor toward the associated support structure.

11. The device of claim 8 , wherein each sense inductor coil is disposed on a flexible printed circuit board.

12. The device of claim 11 , wherein each sense inductor coil is disposed on a dual flexible printed circuit board with separate sense coil mounting sections, a center trace connector.

13. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein each sense inductor coil is coupled to a sensor electronics unit operable to drive the sense inductor coils, measure resulting inductor sense coil signals based on a localized deflection, and generate corresponding touch-press data.

14. A method of touch sensing for use in device including a device wall with at least adjacent first and second touch input areas defined on an exterior-side of the device wall, comprising:
configuring first and second touch sensor assemblies, each including a support structure, and a mounting structure to mount the support structure to an interior-side of the device wall, opposite a respective touch input area; and
mounting the first touch sensor assembly at a first interior-side area of the interior-side of the device wall opposite the first touch input area, with the associated support structure spaced from the first interior-side area by a defined sensing gap; and
mounting the second touch sensor assembly at a second interior-side area of the interior-side of the device wall opposite the second touch input area, with the associated support structure spaced from the second interior-side area by a defined sensing gap;
for each touch sensor assembly, disposing a sense inductor coil on one of:
the associated support structure, opposite a respective interior-side area of the device wall, opposite a respective touch input area, with the sense inductor coil spaced from the first interior-side area by the defined sensing gap, or
the respective interior-side area of the device wall, opposite the respective touch input area, with the associated sense inductor coil spaced from the associated support structure by the defined sensing gap.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein, for each touch sensor assembly:
disposing the associated sense inductor coil on the associated support structure, opposite a respective interior-side area of the touch surface, opposite a respective touch input area, such that

Assignees

• Texas Instruments Inc

Inventors

• Liu Dongtai

Classifications

• G02F1/13338 Primary

  Input devices, e.g. touch panels · CPC title

• H03K2217/96038

  Inductive touch switches · CPC title

• G06F1/1626

  with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs] · CPC title

• G06F3/0202

  Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the input device · CPC title

• G06F2203/04103

  Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices · CPC title