Patent ID: 11861115
Assignee: APPLE INC.
Field: Computer technology (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 18:
19. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions, which when executed by a device comprising a surface, a deformable material, a plurality of acoustic transducers coupled to the surface and the deformable material, and processing circuitry, cause the processing circuitry to:
for each of the plurality of acoustic transducers:
simultaneously transmit an ultrasonic wave in the surface toward an opposite edge of the surface and transmit an ultrasonic wave through the deformable material;
receive an ultrasonic reflection from the deformable material in response to the ultrasonic wave transmitted through the deformable material traversing a thickness of the deformable material;
receive an ultrasonic reflection from the surface in response to the ultrasonic wave transmitted in the surface toward the opposite edge of the surface;
determine a first time-of-flight between the ultrasonic wave transmitted through the deformable material and the ultrasonic reflection from the deformable material; and
determine a second time-of-flight between the ultrasonic wave transmitted in the surface and the ultrasonic reflection from the surface;

determine a location of an object contacting the surface based on one or more respective second time-of-flight measurements corresponding to one or more of the plurality of transducers; and
determine an amount of applied force by the object on the surface based on one or more respective first time-of-flight measurements corresponding to one or more of the plurality of transducers.