Force or touch sensing on a mobile device using capacitive or pressure sensing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10866683-B2
Application number	US-201916549990-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 23, 2019
Priority date	Aug 27, 2018
Publication date	Dec 15, 2020
Grant date	Dec 15, 2020

Abstract

A device includes a housing defining part of an interior volume and an opening to the interior volume; a cover mounted to the housing to cover the opening and further define the interior volume; a display mounted within the interior volume and viewable through the cover; and a system in package (SiP) mounted within the interior volume. The SiP includes a self-capacitance sense pad adjacent a first surface of the SiP; a set of solder structures attached to a second surface of the SiP, the second surface opposite the first surface; and an IC coupled to the self-capacitance sense pad and configured to output, at one or more solder structures in the set of solder structures, a digital value related to a measured capacitance of the self-capacitance sense pad. The SiP is mounted within the interior volume with the first surface positioned closer to the cover than the second surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device, comprising:
a housing defining part of an interior volume and an opening to the interior volume;
a cover mounted to the housing to cover the opening and further define the interior volume;
a display mounted within the interior volume and viewable through the cover; and
a system in package (SiP) mounted within the interior volume, comprising:
a self-capacitance sense pad adjacent a first surface of the SiP;
a set of solder structures attached to a second surface of the SiP, the second surface opposite the first surface; and
an integrated circuit (IC) coupled to the self-capacitance sense pad and configured to output, at one or more solder structures in the set of solder structures, a digital value related to a measured capacitance of the self-capacitance sense pad; wherein:

the SiP is mounted within the interior volume with the first surface positioned closer to the cover than the second surface.

2. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a device stack attached to the cover, wherein:
the device stack comprises the display and a ground element;
the self-capacitance sense pad is separated from the ground element by a compressible gap;
the digital value is indicative of an amount of force applied to the cover; and
different amounts of force applied to the cover compress the compressible gap to different extents and produce different capacitances at the self-capacitance sense pad.

3. The device of claim 2 , wherein the ground element is separated from the cover by the display.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
the digital value is indicative of a proximity of a finger or a stylus to the cover; and
different proximities of the finger or the stylus to the cover produce different capacitances at the self-capacitance sense pad.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the SiP further comprises an alternating current (AC) shield around the self-capacitance sense pad.

6. The device of claim 5 , wherein the SiP further comprises an AC shield layer positioned between the self-capacitance sense pad and the IC.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein the self-capacitance sense pad is a first self-capacitance sense pad, the device further comprising:
a second self-capacitance sense pad disposed in a different plane than the first self-capacitance sense pad.

8. The device of claim 7 , wherein the second self-capacitance sense pad is disposed between the first self-capacitance sense pad and the IC.

9. The device of claim 7 , wherein the SiP further comprises:
an alternating current (AC) shield around the first and second self-capacitance sense pads; and
an AC shield layer positioned between the first and second self-capacitance sense pads and the IC.

10. The device of claim 1 , wherein the SiP is a first SiP, the device further comprising:
a flex circuit; and
a second SiP comprising a same set of components as the first SiP and oriented within the interior volume in a same way as the first SiP;
wherein the first SiP and the second SiP are mechanically and electrically coupled to a same side of the flex circuit.

11. The device of claim 1 , wherein the SiP is a first SiP, the device further comprising:
a printed circuit board; and
a second SiP comprising a same set of components as the first SiP and oriented within the interior volume in a same way as the first SiP; wherein;
the first SiP and the second SiP are mechanically and electrically coupled to a same side of the printed circuit board.

12. A device, comprising:
a housing defining part of an interior volume and an opening to the interior volume;
a cover mounted to the housing to cover the opening and further define the interior volume;
a capacitive force sensor disposed within the interior volume and configured to generate a first set of one or more signals related to an amount of force applied to the cover;
a pressure sensor disposed within the interior volume and configured to generate a second set of one or more signals related to the amount of force applied to the cover; and
a processor configured to determine the amount of force applied to the cover using at least one of the first set of one or more signals or the second set of one or more signals.

13. The device of claim 12 , further comprising:
a touch sensor disposed to detect one or more touches on the cover;
wherein the processor is configured to:
determine the amount of force applied to the cover using the second set of one or more signals when the amount of force applied to the cover is determined for a first time following a touch detected by the touch sensor; and
determine the amount of force applied to the cover using the first set of one or more signals when the amount of force applied to the cover is determined for a second time following the touch detected by the touch sensor.

14. The device of claim 13 , wherein the processor is configured to:
determine the amount of force applied to the cover using the first set of one or more signals and the second set of one or more signals when the amount of force applied to the cover is determined for a third time following the touch detected by the touch sensor; and
the third time is between the first time and the second time.

15. The device of claim 12 , wherein the processor is configured to:
determine a sealing state of the interior volume;
determine the amount of force applied to the cover using the first set of one or more signals when the sealing state is determined to be below a threshold; and
determine the amount of force applied to the cover using the second set of one or more signals when the sealing state is determined to be above the threshold.

16. The device of claim 12 , wherein the processor is configured to:
determine a sealing state of the interior volume;
determine the amount of force applied to the cover using the first set of one or more signals when the sealing state is determined to be below a first threshold; and
determine the amount of force applied to the cover using the first set of one or more signals and the second set of one or more signals when the sealing state is determined to be between the first threshold and a second threshold.

17. The device of claim 12 , wherein the processor is configured to:
determine a sealing state of the interior volume;
determine the amount of force applied to the cover using the first set of one or more signals when the sealing state is determined to be below a first threshold;
determine the amount of force applied to the cover using the first set of one or more signals and the second set of one or more signals when the sealing state is determined to be between the first threshold and a second threshold; and
determine the amount of force applied to the cover using the second set of one or more signals when the sealing state is determined to be above the second threshold.

18. The device of claim 12 , wherein the capacitive force sensor is a first capacitive force sensor and the device further comprises:
a set of capacitive force sensors disposed within the interior volume, each disposed within the interior volume and configured to generate a respective first set of one or more signals related to an amount of force applied to the cover; and
a fluid immersion detector; wherein:
the capacitive force sensors of the set of capacitive force sensors are disposed at different locations beneath the cover;
the set of capacitive force sensors includes the first capacitive force sensor; and
the processor is further configured to determine a location of a to

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Gupta Pavan O
• Joyce Andrew W
• Drevniok Benedict
• Li Mo
• Graff David S
• Lin Albert
• Shutzberg Julian K
• Mousavi Hojjat Seyed

Classifications

• H04M1/0266

  for a display module assembly · CPC title

• G06F3/0414 Primary

  using force sensing means to determine a position · CPC title

• H04M1/0277

  for a printed circuit board assembly · CPC title

• H04M2250/22

  including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector · CPC title

• G01L1/142

  using capacitors · CPC title