System for measuring and calibrating touch, force, and haptic output at a touch sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12399566-B2
Application number	US-202418615863-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 25, 2024
Priority date	Mar 24, 2023
Publication date	Aug 26, 2025
Grant date	Aug 26, 2025

Abstract

A touch assembly includes: an outer tip; an inner tip; a circuit board; a vibration sensor; and a spring element. The outer tip includes a distal end defining an outer contact surface. The inner tip: is arranged concentrically within the outer tip; extends from the distal end of the outer tip; and defines an inner contact surface. The circuit board is arranged over a proximal end of the outer tip. The spring element: is interposed between the circuit board and the inner tip; couples the inner tip to a reference potential; and is configured to, during a haptic feedback cycle at a touch sensor in response to application of the inner tip toward the touch sensor, yield to locate the inner contact surface coplanar with the outer contact surface. The vibration sensor is arranged on the circuit board and configured to output vibration signals during the haptic feedback cycle.

First claim

We claim:

1. A system for characterizing touch and haptics responses of surfaces, the system comprising:
a tip assembly comprising:
an outer tip comprising:
a distal end;
an aperture proximal the distal end; and
an outer contact surface arranged about the aperture;

a conductive inner tip:
arranged concentrically within the outer tip;
extending through the aperture of the outer tip; and
comprising an inner contact surface;

a circuit board adjacent a proximal end of the outer tip;
a vibration sensor arranged on the circuit board and configured to output vibration signals representing vibrations transferred into the outer tip and into the conductive inner tip;
a spring element:
interposed between the circuit board and the conductive inner tip;
coupling the conductive inner tip to a reference potential; and
configured to yield responsive to a force applied to the conductive inner tip to translate the conductive inner tip within the outer tip;

operable in a first configuration during application of the conductive inner tip on a touch sensor surface of a touch sensor at a first selection force, the inner contact surface offset vertically from the outer contact surface and the conductive inner tip effecting electrical values across drive and sense electrode pairs in the touch sensor in the first configuration; and
operable in a second configuration during a haptic feedback cycle at the touch sensor in response to application of the conductive inner tip on the touch sensor surface of the touch sensor at a second selection force greater than the first selection force, the inner contact surface coplanar with the outer contact surface and the outer tip and the conductive inner tip transferring vibrations from the touch sensor surface into the vibration sensor in the second configuration.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a controller configured to:
during application of the tip assembly at a first location on the touch sensor surface of the touch sensor at the first selection force in the first configuration:
access a first touch image, from the touch sensor, representing a touch input detected on the touch sensor surface; and
access a first force image, from the touch sensor, representing a force magnitude of the touch input detected on the touch sensor surface at the first location;

during application of the tip assembly at the first location on the touch sensor surface of the touch sensor at the second selection force in the second configuration, capture a first haptic waveform at the vibration sensor representing vibrations across the touch sensor surface during the haptic feedback cycle; and
fuse the first touch image, the first force image, and the first haptic waveform into a response map for the first location of the touch sensor surface of the touch sensor.

3. The system of claim 1 :
wherein the conductive inner tip comprises:
a receptacle comprising a base defining the inner contact surface; and
a lip arranged about a proximal end of the receptacle;

wherein the outer tip comprises:
an inner wall; and
a platform arranged about the inner wall and configured to support the lip of the receptacle to locate the inner tip concentrically within the outer tip and extending from the aperture of the outer tip; and

wherein the spring element:
is arranged within the receptacle of the conductive inner tip; and
comprises:
a first end electrically coupled to the base of the receptacle; and
a second end, opposite the first end, in contact to an electrical pad on the circuit board, the electrical pad coupled to the reference potential.

4. The system of claim 3 :
wherein the tip assembly is operable in the first configuration during application of the conductive inner tip on the touch sensor surface of the touch sensor at the first selection force, the spring element configured to yield responsive to application of the first selection force at the conductive inner tip to:
offset the lip of the receptacle from the platform to partially translate the conductive inner tip within the outer tip in the first configuration; and
locate the inner contact surface of the conductive inner tip vertically offset from the outer contact surface of the outer tip in the first configuration; and

wherein the tip assembly is operable in the second configuration during a haptic feedback cycle at the touch sensor in response to application of the conductive inner tip on the touch sensor surface of the touch sensor at a second selection force greater than the first selection force, the spring element configured to yield responsive to application of the second selection force at the conductive inner tip to:
offset the lip of the receptacle from the platform to vertically translate the conductive inner tip within the outer tip in the first configuration;
couple the lip of the receptacle to a bottom side of the circuit board in the first configuration; and
locate the inner contact surface of the conductive inner tip coplanar with the outer contact surface of the outer tip in the first configuration.

5. The system of claim 3 , wherein the conductive inner tip further comprises a guide ring arranged within the receptacle and configured to vertically constrain the spring element within the receptacle.

6. The system of claim 1 :
further comprising:
an interface configured to couple a distal end of a probe; and
an enclosure:
coupling the interface; and
containing the tip assembly, the outer tip and the inner tip of the tip assembly extending from a bottom end of the enclosure; and

wherein the tip assembly further comprises:
a top cover arranged over the circuit board and the vibration sensor; and
a spacer element interposed between the interface and the top cover of the tip assembly and configured to dampen vibrations transferred from the interface to the vibration sensor.

7. The system of claim 1 :
wherein the tip assembly is operable in the first configuration during application of the conductive inner tip on the touch sensor surface of the touch sensor at the first selection force, less than a fifty gram-force, the inner contact surface contacting the touch sensor surface of the touch sensor surface and the outer contact surface offset from the touch sensor surface of the touch sensor surface in the first configuration; and
wherein the tip assembly is operable in the second configuration during a haptic feedback cycle at the touch sensor in response to application of the conductive inner tip on the touch sensor surface of the touch sensor at a second selection force, greater than a fifty-gram force, the inner contact surface coplanar with the outer contact surface in the first configuration, and the inner contact surface and the outer contact surface contacting the touch sensor surface of the touch sensor in the first configuration.

8. The system of claim 1 :
wherein the inner contact surface defines a first coefficient of friction;
wherein the outer contact surface defines a second coefficient of friction, greater than the first coefficient of friction, and configured to retain a local region of the touch sensor surface of the touch sensor during a haptic feedback cycle at the touch sensor.

9. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a controller configured to:
during application of the tip assembly along a measurement path on the touch sensor surface of the touch sensor at the first selection force in the first configuration:
access a sequence of touch images representing magnitudes of forces detected on the touch sensor surface by the touch sensor; and
fuse the sequence of touch images into a touch response map representing magnitudes of forces detected on the touch sensor s

Assignees

• Sensel Inc
• Cirque Corp

Inventors

• Sathe Ninad
• Rosenberg Ilya Daniel
• Etzold Kirsten
• Moscovich Tomer
• Lochun Darren
• Terracina Jacob

Classifications

• G06F3/0418

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

• G06F3/03545

  Pens or stylus · CPC title

• G06F3/016 Primary

  Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user · CPC title