Display area force sensing using Bragg grating based wave guide sensors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9638591-B1
Application number	US-201313902726-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	May 24, 2013
Priority date	May 24, 2013
Publication date	May 2, 2017
Grant date	May 2, 2017

Abstract

An electronic device includes an input surface area for receiving a force applied by a user and one or more optical waveguides that include Bragg gratings. The optical waveguide or waveguides is operatively affixed to the input surface area. At least one light source is optically coupled to the optical waveguide or waveguides. At least one wavelength interrogator is coupled to the optical waveguide or waveguides.

First claim

What is claims is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a housing enclosing an electronic component, the housing defining an input surface for receiving a force applied by a user;
a group of optical waveguides operatively affixed to and distributed across the input surface, each optical waveguide of the group of optical waveguides comprising:
a length; and
a plurality of Bragg gratings distributed along the length, each Bragg grating of the plurality of Bragg gratings configured to reflect a different wavelength of light;
a light source optically coupled to at least one optical waveguide of the group of the optical waveguides;
a wavelength interrogator optically coupled to the at least one optical waveguide and configured to detect changes in each different wavelength of light associated with the at least one optical waveguide; and
a processor operatively connected to the wavelength interrogator and configured to:
adjust an output of the wavelength interrogator based on a position of the electronic component within housing to compensate for effects of force resistivity of the input surface and temperature of the input surface adjacent to the position; and
determine a magnitude of force applied and a location at which the force is applied by the user based on the adjusted output.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein at least one optical waveguide of the group of optical waveguides comprises a substantially transparent fiber.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein at least one optical waveguide of the group of optical waveguides is etched into the input surface.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the electronic device comprises at least one of a display, a button, or a trackpad.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising
a temperature sensor coupled to the processor and configured generate an output corresponding to the temperature of the input surface; wherein the processor is configured to use the output of the temperature sensor to adjust the magnitude and the location to correct for thermal drift.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising a touch sensor disposed below the input surface, the touch sensor operatively coupled to the processor.

7. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the group of optical waveguides comprises a first optical waveguide and a second optical waveguide, the first optical waveguide positioned adjacent to the second optical waveguide.

8. The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein each of the plurality of Bragg gratings of the first optical waveguide are aligned with a respective one Bragg grating of the plurality of Bragg grating of the second optical waveguide.

9. The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein each of the plurality of Bragg gratings of the second optical waveguide reflect a different wavelength of light from each of the plurality of Bragg gratings of the first optical waveguide.

10. The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein each of the plurality of Bragg gratings of the first optical waveguide reflect the same wavelength of light as only one of the plurality of Bragg gratings of the second optical waveguide.

11. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the light source comprises a superluminescent diode.

12. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the light source comprises a tunable sweep laser.

13. A method of measuring force in an electronic device, the method comprising:
receiving a force input proximate to an optical waveguide operatively affixed to an input surface, the optical waveguide comprising a Bragg grating having a reflection wavelength, the Bragg grating formed at a location on the optical waveguide;
activating a light source optically coupled to the optical waveguide;
receiving a reflection wavelength from the Bragg grating;
determining an actual Bragg reflection;
determining a first adjusted reflection by modifying the actual Bragg reflection to compensate for effects of temperature;
determining a second adjusted reflection by modifying the first adjusted reflection to compensate for force resistivity characteristics of the input surface or the electronic device local to the force input;
determining a change in reflection from the difference between the second adjusted reflection and the actual Bragg reflection; and
calculating a magnitude of the force input received at the location on the optical waveguide based on the change in reflection.

14. The method of claim 13 , the method further comprising determining a third adjusted reflection by modifying the actual Bragg reflection to compensate for effects of force resistivity at the location on the optical waveguide.

15. The method of claim 13 , the method further comprising determining a third adjusted reflection by modifying the actual Bragg reflection to compensate for effects of thermal hysteresis at the location on the optical waveguide.

16. The method of claim 13 , the method further comprising determining a third adjusted reflection by modifying the actual Bragg reflection to compensate for effects of thermal hysteresis at the location on the optical waveguide.

17. A method of measuring force in an electronic device, the method comprising:
receiving a force input to an input surface, the input surface operatively affixed to a group of optical waveguides each optical waveguide comprising a plurality of Bragg gratings each Bragg grating having a different reflection wavelength;
determining an area over which the force input is received;
determining a subset of optical waveguides that are within the area from the group of optical waveguide;
activating a light source optically coupled to the subset of optical waveguides;
receiving a reflection spectrum from the subset of optical waveguides;
determining at least one reflected wavelength from the reflection spectrum;
determining at least one first adjusted reflected wavelength by modifying the at least one reflected wavelength based on a determined temperature of at least one optical waveguide of the subset of optical waveguides;
determining at least one second adjusted reflected wavelength by modifying at least one first adjusted wavelength based on force resistivity of the input surface;
determining a change in reflection from a difference between at least one second adjusted reflected wavelength and at least one expected reflected wavelength; and
calculating a magnitude of the force input based on the determined difference.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Sarcia Sam R

Classifications

• G01L1/247

  using distributed sensing elements, e.g. microcapsules (along a single optical fibre G01L1/242) · CPC title

• G02B6/34

  utilising prism or grating {(G02B6/293 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• G01L1/246 Primary

  using integrated gratings, e.g. Bragg gratings · CPC title

• G06F3/041

  Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means · CPC title

• G06F2203/04105

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