Controller for use in a device comprising force sensors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11726596-B2
Application number	US-202117161268-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 28, 2021
Priority date	Mar 29, 2019
Publication date	Aug 15, 2023
Grant date	Aug 15, 2023

Abstract

A controller for use in a device which comprises at least two force sensors in a given arrangement, the controller operable, based on input sensor signals derived from the force sensors, to carry out an arrangement-related operation in which an output sensor signal is generated based on at least two said input sensor signals and the arrangement of the force sensors in the device so that the output sensor signal is dependent on said arrangement.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A controller for a device which comprises at least two force sensors in a given arrangement, the controller operable, based on input sensor signals derived from the at least two force sensors, to carry out a localisation operation in which an output sensor signal is generated based on a given weighting associated with at least two said input sensor signals and defining a location of interest relative to locations of the at least two force sensors so that the output sensor signal of the localisation operation is representative of the location of interest, the input sensor signals being input sensor signals of the localisation operation, wherein the localisation operation comprises, in association with at least one of its output sensor signals, calculation of a further output sensor signal as a function of a first ratio of the input sensor signals concerned to one another and a second ratio defining the given weighting concerned.

2. The controller as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the localisation operation is configured to generate a plurality of output sensor signals, each output sensor signal of the localisation operation being generated based on a given weighting associated with at least two said input sensor signals of the localisation operation and defining the location of interest relative to locations of the at least two force sensors so that each output signal of the localisation operation concerned is representative of the location of interest concerned.

3. The controller as claimed in claim 2 , wherein at least two output sensor signals of the localisation operation are generated based on different given weightings and/or different input sensor signals of the localisation operation so that the at least two output sensor signals are different from one another.

4. The controller as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the output sensor signal of the localisation operation results from a weighted combination of the at least two input sensor signals of the localisation operation concerned, the weighted combination weighted according to the given weighting concerned.

5. The controller as claimed in claim 4 , wherein:
the weighted combination is a weighted average or a weighted sum; and/or
the output sensor signal of the localisation operation is representative of a force applied at the location of interest concerned.

6. The controller as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the weighted average or the weighted sum comprises a sum of products, the products corresponding respectively to the input sensor signals of that weighted sum, and each product being a product of an input sensor signal and a corresponding weight defined by the given weighting concerned.

7. The controller as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the output sensor signal of the localisation operation is calculated as the function of the first ratio of magnitudes of the input sensor signals concerned to one another and the second ratio defining the given weighting concerned.

8. The controller as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:
the calculation comprises comparing the first ratio concerned with the second ratio concerned; and/or
the output sensor signal of the localisation operation calculated as a function of the first ratio concerned and the second ratio concerned is representative of whether a force applied is applied at the location of interest concerned or how close a location at which that force is applied is to the location of interest concerned.

9. The controller as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the calculation comprises determining how close the first ratio concerned is to the second ratio concerned.

10. The controller as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first and second ratios are log ratios.

11. The controller as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the calculation comprises calculating values constrained between defined upper and lower values using a Gaussian function whose input parameters comprise the first and second ratios concerned.

12. The controller as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the given weighting comprises a series of weights corresponding respectively to the input sensor signals concerned of the localisation operation.

13. The controller as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:
the given weighting is based on the arrangement of the at least two force sensors in the device and the location of interest concerned; and/or
the given said weighting is dependent on locations of the at least two force sensors in the device and the location of interest concerned.

14. The controller as claimed in claim 1 , configured to store or access arrangement information defining the arrangement of the at least two force sensors in the device, such as the relative locations of the at least two force sensors,
wherein the controller is configured to carry out an arrangement-related operation based on the arrangement information.

15. The controller as claimed in claim 1 , configured to determine a user touch event based on a said output sensor signal.

16. A device, comprising:
at least two force sensors in a given arrangement; and
the controller of claim 1 , wherein the input sensor signals originate from respective force sensors of the device.

17. A controller for a device which comprises at least two force sensors, the controller operable, based on input sensor signals derived from the at least two the force sensors, to carry out a localisation operation in which an output sensor signal is generated as a function of a first ratio of at least two said input sensor signals to one another and a second ratio defining a weighting associated with said at least two said input sensor signals and defining a location of interest relative to locations of the at least two force sensors.

18. A controller for a device which comprises at least two sensors, the controller operable, based on input sensor signals derived from the at least two sensors, to carry out a localisation operation in which an output sensor signal is generated based on a given weighting associated with at least two said input sensor signals and defining a location of interest relative to locations of the at least two sensors so that the output sensor signal is representative of the location of interest, wherein said output sensor signal is calculated as a function of a first ratio of magnitudes of the input sensor signals concerned to one another and a second ratio defining the liven weighting concerned.

19. A controller for a device which comprises at least two force sensors in a given arrangement, the controller operable, based on input sensor signals derived from the at least two force sensors, to carry out a localisation operation in which an output sensor signal is generated based on a given weighting associated with at least two said input sensor signals and defining a location of interest relative to locations of the at least two force sensors so that the output sensor signal of the localisation operation is representative of the location of interest, the input sensor signals being input sensor signals of the localisation operation, wherein the output sensor signal of the localisation operation is calculated as a function of a first ratio of magnitudes of the input sensor signals concerned to one another and a second ratio defining the given weighting concerned.

Assignees

• Cirrus Logic Int Semiconductor Ltd
• Cirrus Logic Inc

Inventors

• Peso Parada Pablo
• Birchall Tom
• Sepehr Hamid

Classifications

• G06F3/0414 Primary

  using force sensing means to determine a position · CPC title

• G06F3/0418

  for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment · CPC title

• G06F3/04164 Primary

  Connections between sensors and controllers, e.g. routing lines between electrodes and connection pads · CPC title