Techniques for beamforming pressure waves

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021397801-A1
Application number	US-202016909761-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 23, 2020
Priority date	Jun 23, 2020
Publication date	Dec 23, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide techniques for beamforming pressure waves. A method for operating an apparatus configured to beamform ultrasonic pressure waves may generally comprise emitting, via a pressure wave module of the apparatus, beamformed ultrasonic pressure waves through a display module of the apparatus, wherein: the display module comprises a first plurality of layers; the pressure wave module comprises a second plurality of layers; the second plurality of layers comprises at least a copolymer layer, a conductive layer, a dielectric protection layer, and a thin film transistor (TFT) glass layer; and an order of the second plurality of layers in the pressure wave module depends on an acoustic resonance value associated with the display module.

First claim

1 . An apparatus configured to beamform ultrasonic pressure waves, comprising:
a display module comprising a first plurality of layers; and a pressure wave module configured for beamforming ultrasonic pressure waves through the display module, wherein:
the pressure wave module comprises a second plurality of layers;
the second plurality of layers comprises at least a copolymer layer, a conductive layer, a dielectric protection layer, and a thin film transistor (TFT) glass layer; and
an order of the second plurality of layers in the pressure wave module depends on an acoustic resonance value associated with the display module.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the pressure wave module is configured to generate ultrasonic pressure waves at a frequency; the pressure wave module is coupled with the display module by an adhesive layer; and a thickness of the adhesive layer is configured to be one of a half-wavelength of the frequency or a quarter-wavelength of the frequency.

3 . The apparatus of claim 2 , further comprising a spacer layer disposed between the display module and the pressure wave module, wherein the spacer layer affects a spatial resolution associated with a response signal received by the pressure wave module.

4 . The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the spacer layer is disposed between the display module and the adhesive layer or between the adhesive layer and pressure wave module.

5 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the pressure wave module is configured to generate ultrasonic pressure waves at a frequency; a thickness associated with the pressure wave module comprises an odd multiple of a quarter of a wavelength of the frequency; and the frequency of the ultrasonic pressure waves is based on a speed of sound in each of the second plurality of layers and an operational frequency associated with the pressure wave module.

6 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the copolymer layer comprises a plurality of elements each configured to generate ultrasonic pressure waves; the TFT glass layer comprises circuitry configured to:
collectively control the plurality of elements in the copolymer layer to generate an ultrasonic pressure wave beam using the ultrasonic pressure waves; and
steer the ultrasonic pressure wave beam through the display module; and
the dielectric protection layer is configured to prevent corrosion associated with the pressure wave module.

7 . The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein a size of each of the elements in the plurality of elements and a spacing between the elements in the plurality of elements depends, at least in part, on a focal depth and a signal strength of the ultrasonic pressure wave beam required to detect a finger hover over the display module at a predefined distance.

8 . The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the order of the second plurality of layers comprises the copolymer layer being disposed below a bottom layer of the first plurality of layers of the display module, the conductive layer being disposed below the copolymer layer, the dielectric protection layer being disposed below the conductive layer, and the TFT glass layer being disposed below the dielectric protection layer.

9 . The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the order of the second plurality of layers comprises the TFT glass layer being disposed below a bottom layer of the first plurality of layers of the display module, the copolymer layer being disposed below the TFT glass layer, the conductive layer being disposed below the copolymer layer, and the dielectric protection layer being disposed below the conductive layer.

10 . The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the order of the second plurality of layers comprises the dielectric protection layer being disposed below a bottom layer of the first plurality of layers of the display module, the conductive layer being disposed below the dielectric protection layer, the copolymer layer being disposed below the conductive layer, and the TFT glass layer being disposed below the copolymer layer.

11 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of layers comprise:
a cover glass layer; a first optical clear adhesive (OCA) layer disposed below the cover glass layer; a polarizer layer disposed below the first OCA layer; a back plate pressure sensitive adhesive (BPSA) layer disposed below the polarizer layer; a touch sensor layer disposed below the BPSA layer; a second OCA layer disposed below the touch sensor layer; and a display panel disposed below the second OCA layer.

12 . A method for operating an apparatus configured to beamform ultrasonic pressure waves, comprising:
emitting, via a pressure wave module of the apparatus, beamformed ultrasonic pressure waves through a display module of the apparatus, wherein:
the display module comprises a first plurality of layers;
the pressure wave module comprises a second plurality of layers;
the second plurality of layers comprises at least a copolymer layer, a conductive layer, a dielectric protection layer, and a thin film transistor (TFT) glass layer; and
an order of the second plurality of layers in the pressure wave module depends on an acoustic resonance value associated with the display module.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein:
the pressure wave module is coupled with the display module by an adhesive layer; and a thickness of the adhesive layer is one of a half-wavelength of the beamformed ultrasonic pressure waves or a quarter-wavelength of the beamformed ultrasonic pressure waves.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the apparatus further comprises a spacer layer disposed between the display module and the pressure wave module, wherein the spacer layer affects a spatial resolution associated with a response signal received by the pressure wave module, wherein the spacer layer is disposed between the display module and the adhesive layer or between the adhesive layer and pressure wave module.

15 . The method of claim 12 , wherein:
the pressure wave module is configured to generate ultrasonic pressure waves at a frequency; a thickness associated with the pressure wave module comprises an odd multiple of a quarter of a wavelength of the frequency; and the frequency of the ultrasonic pressure waves is based on a speed of sound in each of the second plurality of layers and an operational frequency associated with the pressure wave module.

16 . The method of claim 12 , wherein:
the copolymer layer comprises a plurality of elements each configured to generate ultrasonic pressure waves; the TFT glass layer comprises circuitry configured to:
collectively control the plurality of elements in the copolymer layer to generate an ultrasonic pressure wave beam using the ultrasonic pressure waves; and
steer the ultrasonic pressure wave beam through the display module; and
the dielectric protection layer is configured to prevent corrosion associated with the pressure wave module.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein a size of each of the elements in the plurality of elements and a spacing between the elements in the plurality of elements depends, at least in part, on a focal depth and a signal strength of the ultrasonic pressure wave beam required to detect a finger hover over the display module at a predefined distance.

18 . The method of claim 16 , wherein emitting the beamformed ultrasonic pressure waves through the display module of the apparatus comprises:
operating the plurality of elements in the copolymer layer to generate the ultrasonic pressure wave beam; and steering

Assignees

• Qualcomm Inc

Inventors

• Arellano Suzana
• Strohmann Jessica Liu
• Antao Sherman Sebastian

Classifications

• G06F3/0412

  Digitisers structurally integrated in a display · CPC title

• G06F3/0436

  in which generating transducers and detecting transducers are attached to a single acoustic waves transmission substrate · CPC title

• G06F2203/04108

  Touchless 2D- digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface without distance measurement in the Z direction · CPC title

• G10K11/346

  using phase variation · CPC title

• G06V40/1365

  Matching; Classification · CPC title