Touch pad with force sensors and actuator feedback

摘要

Electronic devices may use touch pads that have touch sensor arrays, force sensors, and actuators for providing tactile feedback. A touch pad may be mounted in a computer housing. The touch pad may have a rectangular planar touch pad member that has a glass layer covered with ink and contains a capacitive touch sensor array. Force sensors may be mounted under each of the four corners of the rectangular planar touch pad member. The force sensors may be used to measure how much force is applied to the surface of the planar touch pad member by a user. Processed force sensor signals may indicate the presence of button activity such as press and release events. In response to detected button activity or other activity in the device, actuator drive signals may be generated for controlling the actuator. The user may supply settings to adjust signal processing and tactile feedback parameters.

主权项

1. A track pad that receives input from an external object, the track pad comprising:
a touch pad member having a touch pad sensor array that gathers touch sensor array signals indicative of a given location at which the external object has touched the touch pad member; a plurality of force sensors each of which is connected to the touch pad member at a different location, wherein the force sensors produce force output signals indicative of how forcefully the external object is pressing on the touch pad member; wherein touch events are registered based on the touch sensor array signals, wherein the force output signals are compared to a threshold to identify press events, and wherein the touch events are registered while the force output signals are below the threshold and while the force output signals are above the threshold; and an actuator that laterally actuates the touch pad member.