Materials and structures for spacer elements in a human-computer interface system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12422951-B1
Application number	US-202418735086-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jun 5, 2024
Priority date	Mar 3, 2020
Publication date	Sep 23, 2025
Grant date	Sep 23, 2025

Abstract

One variation of a system for a touch sensor includes: a substrate; a baseplate; and spacer elements. The substrate defines support locations. The baseplate spans a bottom layer of the substrate and defines spring elements: aligned to the support locations of the substrate; and configured to yield to displacement of the substrate toward the baseplate responsive to forces applied over the substrate. The spacer elements: are interposed between the support locations and the spring elements; and are configured to compress responsive to forces applied over the substrate. Each spacer element, in the spacer elements, includes: an elastomer element; a first adhesive layer; and a second adhesive layer. The first adhesive layer: is arranged over the elastomer element; and coupled to the bottom substrate layer at a support location. The second adhesive layer: is arranged below the elastomer element; and coupled to the baseplate at a spring element.

First claim

We claim:

1. A system for a touch sensor comprising:
a substrate;
a baseplate arranged under the substrate;
a first spring element:
arranged about the baseplate; and
configured to yield to displacement of the substrate toward the baseplate responsive to forces applied over the substrate;

a first spacer element:
interposed between a bottom layer of the substrate and the first spring element;
comprising:
an elastomer element;
a top layer:
arranged over the elastomer element; and
coupled to the bottom layer of the substrate; and

a bottom layer:
arranged below the elastomer element; and
coupled to the baseplate; and

configured to compress responsive to forces applied over the substrate.

2. The system of claim 1 :
wherein the top layer comprises a top set of sub-adhesive layers interposed between a top surface of the elastomer element and the bottom layer of the substrate; and
wherein the bottom layer comprises a bottom set of sub-adhesive layers interposed between a bottom surface of the elastomer element and the baseplate.

3. The system of claim 2 :
wherein the top set of sub-adhesive layers are formed of a first adhesive type; and
wherein the bottom set of sub-adhesive layers are formed of a second adhesive type, different from the first adhesive type.

4. The system of claim 2 :
wherein the top layer further comprises a top intermediate layer:
interposed within the top set of sub-adhesive layers; and
configured to support coupling of the elastomer element to the bottom layer of the substrate,

wherein the bottom layer further comprises a bottom intermediate layer:
interposed within the bottom set of sub-adhesive layers; and
configured to support coupling of the elastomer element to the baseplate.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the top layer comprises:
a first sub-adhesive layer arranged across a top surface of the elastomer element;
a second sub-adhesive layer:
arranged over the first sub-adhesive layer; and
coupled to the bottom layer of the substrate; and

a first intermediate layer:
interposed between the first sub-adhesive layer and the second sub-adhesive layer; and
configured to support adhesion of the of the elastomer element to the bottom layer of the substrate.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the first carrier layer comprises:
a first thermoplastic layer;
a first pressure sensitive adhesive layer:
arranged across a bottom surface of the first thermoplastic layer; and
coupled to the first sub-adhesive layer; and

a second pressure sensitive adhesive layer:
arranged across a top surface of the thermoplastic layer; and
coupled to the second sub-adhesive layer.

7. The system of claim 5 :
wherein the first sub-adhesive layer is formed of a first adhesive type; and
wherein the second sub-adhesive layer is formed of a second adhesive type, different from the first adhesive type.

8. The system of claim 1 :
wherein the elastomer element:
is formed of a silicone material;
defines a first height; and

wherein the top layer:
defines a second height, less than the first height, of the elastomer element; and
comprises:
a primer across a top surface of the elastomer element;
a first plastic layer arranged over the elastomer element and bonded to the primer across the top surface of the elastomer; and
a first intermediate adhesive layer interposed between the elastomer element and the first plastic layer.

9. The system of claim 1 :
wherein the substrate comprises:
a set of drive and sense electrode pairs arranged across a top layer of the substrate; and
a multi-layer inductor arranged across a set of inner layers, below the top layer, of the substrate;

further comprising a first magnetic element:
arranged below the substrate;
defining a first polarity facing the multi-layer inductor; and
configured to inductively couple the multi-layer inductor responsive to forces applied over the substrate; and

further comprising a controller configured to:
read a first set of electrical values from the set of drive and sense electrode pairs;
detect a touch input at a first location on over the substrate based on the first set of electrical values; and
in response to detecting the touch input, trigger a first oscillating voltage across the multi-layer inductor during a haptic feedback cycle to induce alternating magnetic coupling between the multi-layer inductor and the first magnetic element.

10. The system of claim 1 :
wherein the substrate further comprises:
a multi-layer inductor arranged within a set of inner layers of the substrate; and
a first sense electrode arranged on the bottom layer of the substrate proximal the first spacer element;

wherein the baseplate comprises a first drive electrode:
arranged on the baseplate proximal the first spring element;
arranged in alignment with the first sense electrode on the bottom layer of the substrate; and
configured to capacitively couple the first sense electrode to form a capacitive force sensor and effect capacitance values of the sense electrode responsive to displacement of the substrate toward the baseplate; and

further comprising a first magnetic element:
arranged below the substrate;
defining a first polarity facing the multi-layer inductor; and
configured to inductively couple the multi-layer inductor responsive to forcer applied over the substrate.

11. The system of claim 10 , further comprising a controller configured to:
read a first set of electrical values from the multi-layer inductor; and
in response to detecting a first change in electrical values at the multi-layer inductor based on the first set of electrical values:
detect presence of a first touch input applied over the substrate based on the first change in the electrical values;
read a second set of electrical values from the capacitive force sensors;
interpret a first force magnitude for the first touch input based on the second set of electrical values; and
in response to the first force magnitude exceeding a threshold force magnitude, trigger a first oscillating voltage across the multi-layer inductor during a haptic feedback cycle to induce alternating magnetic coupling the between the multi-layer inductor and the first magnetic element.

12. The system of claim 1 :
wherein the baseplate and the spring element form a unitary structure:
defining a nominal plane arranged below the substrate; and
locating the spring element about a periphery of the unitary structure;

wherein the spring element comprises a flexure:
formed in the unitary structure;
defining a stage; and
configured to return to approximately the nominal plane in response to absence of a touch input applied over the substrate; and

wherein the spacer element couples a first support location on the bottom layer of the substrate to the stage of the spring element.

13. The system of claim 1 :
wherein the substrate further comprises a set of inductor layers comprising:
a first inductor layer comprising a first spiral trace coiled in a first direction; and
a second inductor layer arranged below the first inductor layer and comprising a second spiral trace:
coiled in a second direction, opposite the first direction; and;
cooperating with the first spiral trace to form a multi-layer inductor; and

further comprising a first magnetic element:
arranged below the substrate;
defining a first polarity facing the multi-layer inductor; and
configured to inductively couple the multi-layer inductor responsive to forces applied over the substrate.

14. The system of claim 13 , further comprising

Assignees

• Sensel Inc
• Cirque Corp

Inventors

• Liu Ping
• Chau Sophia
• Sathe Ninad
• Lochun Darren
• Rosenburg Ilya Daniel

Classifications

• G06F3/041662

  using alternate mutual and self-capacitive scanning · CPC title

• G06F3/04144

  using an array of force sensing means (position sensing using the local deformation of sensor cells G06F3/0447) · CPC title

• G06F2203/04104

  Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger · CPC title

• G06F3/0445

  using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer · CPC title

• G06F2203/04105

  Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position · CPC title