Force sensor apparatus
AssigneeMicrosoft Technology Licensing, LLC
InventorsVadim Mishalov, Ahia Peretz
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The described technology provides a force sensor apparatus. An elastic pad may be disposed between two force sensors with a force applicator extending at least partially into the elastic pad. When a force is applied to a force applicator, the force applicator transmits the force to one or both of the force sensors via the elastic pad. In an implementation, the force sensors may be resistive sensors. Since resistive sensors may experience thermal drift due to changes in environmental temperature conditions, the differential resistance between the two resistive sensors allows a temperature-independent measurement of the applied force.
Claims22
A stylus comprising:
- a stylus body having a tip disposed at a first end and a long center axis extending through the tip and through an end of the stylus body opposite the tip;
- a first force sensor and a second force sensor disposed inside the stylus body;
- and
- a tip holder shaft operatively connected to the tip and slidably connected to the stylus body, at least a portion of the tip holder shaft configured to concurrently apply along the long center axis a first force to the first force sensor and a second different force to the second force sensor, the first force sensor and the second force sensor being stacked at different positions along and intersecting the long center axis of the stylus body.
A force sensor apparatus comprising:
- a force applicator disposed at a first end of a stylus body, the stylus body having a long center axis extending through the force applicator and through a second opposite end of the stylus body opposite the first end of the stylus body;
- and
- a first force sensor and a second force sensor disposed inside the stylus body and stacked at different positions along and intersecting the long center axis of the stylus body, the force applicator being configured to concurrently apply a first force to the first force sensor and a second different force to the second force sensor.
A method comprising:
- applying a force to a tip of a stylus body, the tip operatively connected to a tip holder shaft disposed inside and slidably coupled to the stylus body, the tip holder shaft configured to concurrently apply a first force to a first force sensor and a second different force to a second force sensor, each of the first force sensor and the second force sensor being stacked at different positions along and intersecting a long center axis of the stylus body, the intersected long center axis extending through the tip and through an end of the stylus body opposite the tip;
- and
- determining an amount of the force applied to the tip by measuring a difference between the first force measured at the first force sensor and the second different force measured at the second force sensor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.