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US 10,120,483 B2Granted
Apparatus having touch and bending sensing functions
AssigneeNokia Technologies Oy
InventorDarryl Cotton
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus including in a first laterally extending layer, a flexible substrate; in a second laterally extending layer, a plurality of distinct sensors configured to sense over a sensing area; in a third laterally extending layer, a modifier including a perimeter, wherein the apparatus is configured to enable, responsive to flexing of the flexible substrate, lateral movement of the perimeter of the modifier relative to the plurality of distinct sensors to modify sensing by one or more of the distinct sensors.
Claims19
An apparatus comprising:
- in a first laterally extending layer, a flexible substrate;
- in a second laterally extending layer, a plurality of distinct sensors configured to sense over a sensing area;
- in a third laterally extending layer, a modifier comprising a perimeter,
- wherein the apparatus is configured to enable, responsive to flexing of the flexible substrate, lateral movement of the perimeter of the modifier relative to the plurality of distinct sensors to modify sensing by one or more of the distinct sensors;
- further comprising reading circuitry configured to read the plurality of distinct sensors to produce outputs dependent upon the existence of touch or proximity of an object at one or more positions in the sensing area and configured to read at least one sensor of the plurality of distinct sensors to produce outputs dependent upon flexing of the apparatus.
2 more elements
A method comprising:
- in a first touch sensing mode of an apparatus, electrically interconnecting a first conductive portion and a second conductive portion to form a guard electrode for a plurality of capacitive sensor electrodes;
- and
- in a second flex sensing mode, electrically disconnecting the first conductive portion and the second conductive portion to form at least one modifier comprising a perimeter, wherein, in response to flexing the apparatus, the perimeter of the modifier moves relative to the plurality of capacitive sensor electrodes to modify sensing by at least one of the capacitive sensor electrodes;
- wherein electrically disconnecting the first conductive portion and the second conductive portion comprises switching from a first state to a second state, the switching comprising disconnecting the first conductive portion and the second conductive portion and connecting the second conductive portion to a voltage V2 while keeping the first conductive portion connected to a voltage V1;
- further comprising reading, using reading circuitry, the plurality of capacitive sensor electrodes to produce outputs dependent upon the existence of touch or proximity of an object at one or more positions in a sensing area and reading at least one capacitive sensor electrode of the plurality of capacitive sensor electrodes to produce outputs dependent upon flexing of the apparatus.
2 more elements
A flexible apparatus comprising:
- in a laterally extending sensing layer, a plurality of distinct sensors configured to sense over a sensing area;
- in a laterally extending modifier layer, a modifier comprising a perimeter, wherein the apparatus is configured to enable, responsive to flexing of the apparatus, lateral movement of the perimeter of the modifier relative to the plurality of distinct sensors to modify sensing by one or more of the distinct sensors;
- and
- further comprising reading circuitry configured to read the plurality of distinct sensors to produce outputs dependent upon the existence of touch or proximity of an object at one or more positions in the sensing area and configured to read at least one sensor of the plurality of distinct sensors to produce outputs dependent upon flexing of the flexible apparatus.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.