Haptic trackpad with anisotropic compliant spacer
AssigneeMicrosoft Technology Licensing, LLC
InventorsLincoln Matthew Ghioni, Federico Zannier, Tianyu Zhao, Thomas Joseph Longo
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Supplementing the movement stroke of a trackpad with a haptic response is one way to restore some or all of a reduced trackpad feel and overall performance caused by a reduction in the movement stroke. However, incorporating haptic responses in a clickable trackpad may interfere with accurate force measurement using physical movement of the trackpad as a proxy. The following describes haptic trackpads with anisotropic compliant spacers. The disclosed haptic trackpads permit selective haptic responses to a user, while also permitting accurate force measurement using displacement of a sensing surface caused by the user's finger(s) as a proxy.
Claims20
A trackpad comprising:
- a frame;
- a printed circuit board (PCB) including a touch sensor;
- an anisotropic compliant spacer oriented between the frame and the PCB, the anisotropic compliant spacer including:
- a rigid feature that occupies substantially all of a thickness of the anisotropic compliant spacer, the rigid feature to limit compressive displacement of the anisotropic compliant spacer;
- a compliant filler that occupies a remainder of the anisotropic compliant spacer, the compliant filler to permit shear displacement of the anisotropic compliant spacer.
A method for manufacturing a trackpad with an anisotropic compliant spacer, the method comprising:
- fixedly attaching a first distal end of a spring to a frame of the trackpad;
- applying a compliant filler on a second distal end of the spring;
- placing a rigid feature within the compliant filler;
- and
- compressing a printed circuit board including a touch sensor onto the compliant filler, wherein the rigid feature defines a thickness of the compliant filler, wherein the rigid feature limits compressive displacement of the anisotropic compliant spacer and the compliant filler permits shear displacement of the anisotropic compliant spacer.
A haptic button comprising:
- a frame;
- a touch interface;
- an anisotropic compliant spacer oriented between the frame and the touch interface, the anisotropic compliant spacer including:
- a spaced rigid feature that occupies substantially all of a thickness of the anisotropic compliant spacer, the rigid feature to limit compressive displacement of the anisotropic compliant spacer;
- a compliant filler that occupies a remainder of the anisotropic compliant spacer, the compliant filler to permit shear displacement of the anisotropic compliant spacer;
- and
- a spring connecting the anisotropic compliant spacer to the frame, the spring to permit compressive displacement of the touch interface with reference to the frame.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.