US 12,585,361 B2Granted

Touch input devices

AssigneeApple Inc.

InventorsQiliang Xu, Ming Yu, Xiaonan Wen, Ehsan Khajeh, Jason S. Griesbach, Brian M. King

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Abstract

Input devices can employ ultrasonic touch sensing capabilities that allow user inputs to be detected through conductive materials, such as metal enclosures. The ultrasonic touch sensing can include generation of ultrasound signals with a piezoelectric layer. The ultrasound signals can be reflected when a user or other object is in contact with a housing, and the reflected signal can be detected by the same piezoelectric layer that produced the ultrasound signal. Such a piezoelectric layer can include a piezoelectric polymer, such as polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF). An array of electrodes distributed on opposing sides of the use of electric layer can be operated to generate ultrasound signals and detect reflected signals. Such an input device can be operated in conjunction with a conductive (e.g., metallic) housing, conform to a variety of shapes, and be compact and lightweight.

Claims13

Dependent claims

An input device comprising:

a housing;
a piezoelectric layer having an upper side and a lower side;
an upper layer of first electrodes between the upper side of the piezoelectric layer and the housing such that the upper layer is covered by the housing, the first electrodes forming first discrete pairs and being arranged in an upper grid defining:
upper rows each including multiple ones of the first electrodes separated from each other within the corresponding one of the upper rows;
and
upper columns each including multiple ones of the first electrodes separated from each other within the corresponding one of the upper columns;
and
a lower layer of second electrodes on the lower side of the piezoelectric layer, the second electrodes forming second discrete pairs and being arranged in a lower grid defining:
lower rows each including multiple ones of the second electrodes separated from each other within the corresponding one of the lower rows;
and
lower columns each including multiple ones of the second electrodes separated from each other within the corresponding one of the lower columns.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.