Ground-Shifted Touch Input Sensor for Capacitively Driving an Electrostatic Plate
AssigneeApple Inc.
InventorsTerrence L. Van Ausdall, Senem E. Emgin, Soyoung Kim, Ryan J. Moynihan, YiBo Liu
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Abstract
An input/output interface for an electronic device receives touch and/or force input and, additionally provides haptic output to a user. In particular the input/output interface is operated in conjunction with an input surface and includes at least one input sensor and at least one haptic output element. In typical embodiments, the input sensor is ground-shifted to prevent damage to the input sensor when the haptic output element is driven.
Claims20
An electronic device comprising:
- an interface surface configured to receive a user input;
- an input sensor positioned below the interface surface;
- a haptic output element capacitively coupled to the input sensor and positioned above the input sensor and below the interface surface;
- and
- a controller configured to ground-shift the input sensor to drive the haptic output element.
An electronic device comprising:
- a system voltage source;
- a system ground;
- a substrate defining an interface surface;
- a touch input sensor positioned below the substrate and conductively decoupled from the system voltage source and the system ground, the touch input sensor comprising:
- a local voltage source;
- and
- a local ground;
- a conductive layer disposed on the substrate, conductively decoupled from the system voltage source and the system ground, and capacitively coupled to the touch input sensor;
- and
- a controller configured to modulate the local voltage source and the local ground of the touch input sensor to drive the conductive layer to a high voltage.
A method of providing haptic output with a touch input sensor, the method comprising:
- receiving a haptic feedback instruction;
- increasing a local ground of the touch input sensor based on the haptic feedback instruction;
- and
- increasing a local voltage source of the touch input sensor based on the haptic feedback instruction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.