PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-8872798-B2
Application Number: US-201113251007-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Method and apparatus for receiving user inputs

Abstract:
Methods and apparatus for processing user events are provided. In particular, one or more sensor modules and processor modules are provided that can be operated to detect user events, such as the pressing of an otherwise mechanical switch. In many electronic devices, touch display screens are provided to the user for interfacing with the device. These displays often must also include one or more mechanical switches to provide necessary functionality. The functionality, however, comes at the cost of reduced aesthetics, and potentially increased manufacturing costs related to fabricating one or more holes in the display substrate. The sensor module disclosed herein can be configured such that collected pressure data can be focused, such as linear expansion data or deflection data. By collecting two different types of focused data, the apparatus can more accurately determine whether a user event has occurred. Additional types of sensors may also be utilized to provide even more reliable results.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An electronic device, comprising:
 a substrate having a top surface and a bottom surface which are co-planar, the substrate being capable of expanding linearly in any direction co-planar with the top surface and bottom surface, and also being capable of deflecting in a direction perpendicular to the to surface and bottom surface; 
 sensor module mounted to the bottom surface, the sensor module comprising:
 at least one expansion detector operative to detect and collect expansion data representative of a linear expansion of the substrate, the linear expansion being independent of deflection; and 
 at least one deflection detector operative to detect and collect deflection data that is representative of deflection, the deflection being independent of linear expansion; and 
 a processing module operative to: receive expansion data and deflection data from the module; 
 construct a first image based upon the collected expansion data; 
 construct a second image based on the collected deflection data, the second image being different from the first image; and 
 analyze the first image and second image to determine whether a user event has occurred. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein constructing the first image and second image further comprises: reading expansion data; reading deflection data; and processing the expansion data and the deflection data into the first image and the second image. 
     
     
       3. The electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the sensor module further comprises: a temperature sensor, and wherein the processing module uses temperature sensor data in determining whether a user event has occurred. 
     
     
       4. The electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the sensor module further comprises a motion sensor, and wherein the processing module uses motion sensor data in determining whether a user event has occurred. 
     
     
       5. The electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the processing module constructs the images once every predetermined time interval. 
     
     
       6. The electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein each of the at least one expansion detector reports a magnitude value. 
     
     
       7. The electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein each of the at least one deflection detector reports a magnitude value. 
     
     
       8. The electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one expansion detector includes a plurality of expansion detectors and wherein the at least one deflection detector includes a plurality of deflection detectors, and the expansion and deflection detectors are arranged in an array. 
     
     
       9. The electronic device of  claim 8 , wherein the array is a two-dimensional array. 
     
     
       10. The electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises:
 a glass substrate or a metal substrate. 
 
     
     
       11. The electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises:
 indicia indicative of the user input region. 
 
     
     
       12. A method for determining whether a user event has occurred on a substrate of an electronic device, the method comprising:
 detecting on the substrate of the electronic device using a sensor module:
 a linear expansion data, the linear expansion data representative of a linear expansion being independent of a deflection pressure; 
 a deflective pressure data, the deflective pressure data representative of the deflection pressure being independent of the linear expansion; 
 
 collecting the detected linear expansion data and the deflective pressure data; 
 communicating the collected linear expansion data and deflective pressure data to a processing module; 
 constructing a first image based upon the collected linear expansion data; 
 constructing a second image based on the collected deflection data, the second image being different from the first image; and 
 analyzing the first image and the second image to determine whether a user event has occurred. 
 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 12  further comprising: utilizing a temperature sensor to determine temperature of at least one location of the substrate; and further constructing the first image or the second image based on the determined temperature. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 12  further comprising: utilizing a motion sensor to determine whether any motion has occurred on at least one location on the substrate; and further constructing the first image or the second image based on the determination made by the motion sensor. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 12 , wherein analyzing the first image and the second image to determine whether a user event has occurred further comprising: causing the user event to be addressed by the electronic device. 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 15 , wherein causing the user event to be addressed by the electronic device further comprises: transmitting information related to the user event from the processing module to a processor resident within the electronic device.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Many electronic devices such as portable media players, smart phones, laptops, and monitors have one or more mechanical buttons that can be actuated by a user. The general nature of the design and implementation of mechanical buttons is such that those buttons need an external surface that the user interacts with and a separate and discreet structure within the electronic device so that the buttons can be depressed. This discreet structure can disrupt the cosmetic appeal of the electronic device and require additional manufacturing processing. For example, some portable electronic devices utilize a touch screen display that includes a mechanical switch. Many of these touch screens are formed from glass or plastic, so that they can be used as a display as well as a touch input device. In order to place a mechanical switch within the touch display, the glass or plastic needs to be processed to accommodate the space required for the switch. This processing could, for example, include drilling a hole in the glass and any subsequent processing to remove any sharp edges, etc. In any event, the addition of a hole in the glass for the mechanical switch detracts from the cosmetic appeal that a completely uniform surface would provide. That whole also provides a potential avenue for contaminants, such as a grain of sand, to potentially interfere with the proper functioning of the switch. Accordingly, what is needed are “soft” buttons that can be implemented using the touch surface itself, such that the cosmetic appeal of the electronic device is enhanced and manufacturing processing can be reduced. 
     SUMMARY 
     This is directed to electronic devices that include “soft” buttons or switches. “Soft” buttons or switches are switches that are inherently non-mechanical, in that they do not utilize a mechanical mechanism to switch from one state to another, but that still include one or more specific physical elements dedicated to the switch&#39;s operation. As such, this does not include items that are essentially entirely user-interface based, such as selections in a dialog box or other user interface that may pop up on a touch screen in response to a user&#39;s action. 
     In particular, this is directed to switches that include physical, dedicated sensors to determine whether a user is depressing or actuating the switch. These sensors can include, for example, micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) devices that are capable of determining directional expansion of a surface. This can include linear expansion, curvature expansion or both. By analyzing the type and magnitude of the expansion of the surface, it can be determined when a user is attempting to actuate the switch. 
     The sensors can, for example, be located on the underside of a piece of glass that may also be utilized as a touch display. A graphic or indicia of a button may be applied to the specific region of the glass where the “soft” switch is located. In this manner, the glass does not require a specific opening for mechanical operation of the switch and the overall cosmetic appeal of the touch glass is increased. When the user presses on the “soft” button, the sensors are capable of detecting physical changes in the region of the glass where the user applied pressure. These physical changes are analyzed to determine whether the changes are the result of the user pushing the “soft” button or from some other incidental contact with the device. If it is determined that the user has depressed the “soft” button, the device then operates just as if the user had pressed a mechanical switch. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above and other aspects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout, and in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a three-dimensional perspective view of an electronic device constructed in accordance with at least one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIGS. 2A-2D  show a substrate that may be utilized in accordance with at least one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 3  shows an illustrative side view of a “soft” switch constructed in accordance with at least one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 4  shows a schematic diagram of sensor and processing modules constructed in accordance with at least one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIGS. 5A and 5B  are illustrative side views of detectors constructed in accordance with at least one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIGS. 6A and 6B  are illustrative examples of processed images that can be processed and utilized in accordance with at least one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 7  shows a schematic diagram of a sensor module for collecting and processing pressure data in accordance with at least one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 8  shows illustrative steps for collecting and processing pressure data in accordance with at least one embodiment of the invention; and 
         FIG. 9  shows illustrative steps for collecting and processing pressure and additional sensor data in accordance with at least one embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE 
       FIG. 1  shows an illustrative view of an electronic device  10  having a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) sensor module according to at least one embodiment of the invention. Electronic device  10  can include substrate  12 , having a top surface  14  and a bottom surface (not shown in  FIG. 1 ), which can be secured to housing  16 . Substrate  12  can be constructed from any suitable material such as glass, metal, plastic, or any combination thereof. Substrate  12  may have one or more ports  18  and soft button graphic or indicia  20  disposed on or etched into the surface of substrate  12 . Soft button indicia  20  indicates a region on substrate  12  where the user can apply a finger or an object thereto to commence a user input event. 
     The user input event is effectively the same thing that occurs when a user depresses a mechanical button or switch on a conventional electronic device. In this instance, however, there is no mechanical button for the user to depress. Indicia  20  is located in a position to guide the user to the proper place on substrate  12  to actuate the “soft” button. When indicia  20  is depressed by the user, a sensor module (not shown in  FIG. 1 ) that is mounted to bottom of substrate  12 , and in particular, directly beneath indicia  20 , detects the depression and collects data based on the depression that can be utilized to verify that an actual depression of the “soft” button has actually occurred. 
       FIGS. 2A-D  show substrate  212  (substrate  212  may be, for example, the same as substrate  12  of  FIG. 1 ) as it may exist in any one of four different states, depending on which forces, if any, are being applied to substrate  212 . Substrate  212  includes top surface  214  (similar to top surface  14  of  FIG. 1 ) and bottom surface  215 , which are substantially co-planer with each other. Top surface  212  and bottom surface  214  remain substantially co-planar during linear expansion, but not during deflection. In particular,  FIG. 2A  shows substrate  212  in a no-load state. In the no-load state, no vertical or horizontal loads are applied to substrate  212 , which is, therefore, not subject to any linear expansion or deflection. 
       FIG. 2B  shows substrate  212  in a linearly-loaded state. In a linearly-loaded state (i.e., where there is substantially no deflection), substrate  210  either expands or contracts in a direction that is co-planar to top and bottom surfaces  214  and  215 , respectively. As shown, the edges  216  and  218  of substrate  212  have expanded beyond the edges  220  and  222  of substrate  212  in the no-load state (as shown in  FIG. 2A ). Substrate  212  can expand or contract under various different circumstances. For example, substrate  212  can expand when exposed to heat. This might occur, for example, as the result of the application of a user&#39;s finger to an indicia located on top surface  214  (which would thereby impart heat into substrate  212 ), which would then expand linearly. Similarly, substrate  212  would contract linearly when heat is removed from substrate  212 . 
       FIG. 2C  shows substrate  212  in a deflection loaded state (i.e., where there is substantially no linear movement). In a deflection-loaded state, substrate  212  is subjected to pressure applied to top surface  214  of substrate  212 . The deflection may be at an angle between about 0.1 degrees and 90 degrees relative to the plane of top surface  214 , but in many instances will not be recognizable by the average user. The vertical pressure, however, can cause substrate  212  to bow, deflect, curve, or deform in response to the applied vertical pressure (even if such movement may not be apparent to the user). 
       FIG. 2D  shows substrate  212  which it is loaded in both linear and deflected states. This fully-loaded state can occur, for example, when heat is being imparted to or removed from substrate  212  at the same time as a vertical force is being applied. In this situation, edges  216  and  218  expand linearly beyond the normal limits  220  and  220  of substrate  212 , while also being deflected downward from top surface  214  toward bottom surface  215 . 
       FIG. 3  shows an illustrative side view of substrate  312 , having top surface  314  and bottom surface  315 , with sensor module  320  mounted to bottom surface  315 . Sensor  320  may be mounted directly to bottom surface  315  of substrate  312  in a location that is substantially directly below the indicia described above with respect to  FIG. 1  (e.g., at a location at or about where a conventional mechanical switch might be located). Sensor module  320  can be a single die bonded to bottom surface  315  or it may have a bonded land pattern for being mounted to bottom surface  315 . A substantially direct interface between substrate  312  and sensor module  320  will enable sensor module  320  to monitor both linear and deflection loads that may be imposed on substrate  312 . If desired, sensor module  320  can include other features, such as the ability to monitor other variables such as temperature and motion. 
     Substrate  312  can be mounted to housing  330  in a manner such that bottom surface  315  and sensor module  320  would be located within housing  330 . A processing module  340 , also located within housing  330 , is coupled to sensor module  320  via interface  345  such that processing module  340  can receive and process linear expansion and deflection data collected by sensor module  320 . As set forth in more detail below, processing module  340  can process data received from sensor module  320  in order to determine when the “soft” button at the indicia (shown in  FIG. 1 ) has been depressed by a user. 
       FIG. 4  shows an illustrative schematic of sensor and processing modules, which can be utilized in accordance with at least one embodiment. Sensor module  420 , for example, may be utilized in the same manner described above as sensor module  320  with respect to  FIG. 3 . Sensor module  420  may include a die substrate  422  to which various other components may be mounted. For example, linear load detector  424  and deflection load detector  426  are required for operation as set forth herein. Detectors  424  and  426  operate as described above with regarding to linear-expansion and deflection detection. In particular, linear load detector  424  is capable of detecting linear expansion in a manner that is not sensitive to deflection, while deflection load detector  426  is sensitive to deflection and not linear expansion. 
     It may also be advantageous to include other sensors on sensor module  420 . These additional sensors can provide additional information that may be used independent of the information collected by detectors  424  and  426 , or information that may be used to further refine the processing of information collected by detectors  424  and  426 . For example, sensor module  420  may also include temperature sensor  428  and/or motion sensor  430 . Information from temperature sensor  428  may be utilized by processing module  440  to more accurately determine whether a user has depressed the “soft” button (as is described in more detail below with respect to  FIGS. 7 and 8 ). Information from motion sensor  430  may also be utilized in a similar manner, such as to detect the motion and cessation of motion of user&#39;s finger on the indicia. Information from sensor module  420  can be sent to processing module  440  via interface  450 , while commands and instructions can be sent from processing module  440  back to sensor module  420  via the same interface. Interface  450  can be any type of standard interface, including without limitation, one or more physical wires, PCB traces, vias on stacked circuit boards, etc. Processing module  440  can be the same processing module that controls the electronic device itself, or it can be a dedicated processor. If it is a dedicated processor, such as an image processor, it would then send user events on to a processor in the electronic device for further processing. 
       FIGS. 5A and 5B  show illustrative side views of detectors that may be utilized for detectors  424  and  426  described above. In particular,  FIG. 5A  shows detector  524  that may be utilized for linear-load detection in instances where sensitivity to only linear loads is desired. Detector  524  includes base  540  and upper arm  542  that is substantially co-planar with base  540 . Upper arm  542  is attached to base  540  at both ends. One end of upper arm  542  is attached to base  540  via left member  544 , while the other end is attached to base  540  via right member  546 . Embedded within right member  546  are electrodes  547  and  549  which operate to detect linear expansion (and contraction), in that the overlap between electrodes  547  and  549  changes with linear changes in detector  524 . For example, positive die expansion would cause capacitance between electrodes  547  and  549  to decrease, while negative die expansion (i.e., contraction) would cause capacitance to increase. Moreover, because upper arm  542  is fixed in place with respect to base  540 , detector  524  would not be sensitive to deflection changes. 
       FIG. 5B  shows detector  526  that may be utilized for deflective-load detection in instances where sensitivity to only deflective loads is desired. Detector  526  includes base  550  and upper arm  552  that is substantially co-planar with base  550 . Unlike upper arm  542 , upper arm  552  is only attached to base  550  at one end via left member  554 . The other end is not attached to base  550  in region  556 . Detector  526  includes electrodes  557  and  559  that are coupled to upper arm  552  and base  550 , respectively. Detector  526  operates to detect deflection (and contraction), in that the distance between electrodes  557  and  559  changes as upper arm  552  and base  550  are moved closer together as a result of pressure placed on the indicia described above (even if the movement is too small for the user to notice). For example, compression between base  550  and upper arm  552  would cause capacitance between electrodes  557  and  559  to increase, while the removal of pressure would increase the distance between electrodes  557  and  559  and thereby reduce capacitance. In this instance, detector  526  would have little to no sensitivity to linear expansion, at least in part, because electrodes  557  and  559  would remain in essentially the same physical relationship with respect to one another. 
       FIGS. 6A and 6B  show illustrative examples of images that may be processed and utilized, as set forth in more detail below, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the invention. In particular,  FIGS. 6A and 6B  show sample resultant images that can be produced by utilizing one or more of the sensor modules described above.  FIG. 6A , for example, shows image  600  and  FIG. 6B  shows image  620 , each of which can be produced by processing module  340  from data collected by sensor module  320  (and sensor module  320  can collect data via detectors similar to detectors  424  and  426 ). Image  600  illustrates the effects of, for example, pressure being applied to the side of the substrate. As such, the image is substantially uniform and is therefore not representative of a localized finger depression by a user. Image  620 , on the other hand, illustrates the effects of pressure being applied by a finger depression (see, for example, the generally round shape of the effects). In fact, image  600  may be utilized to determine the angle of incidence between the user&#39;s finger and the substrate surface. 
       FIG. 7  shows at least one embodiment of sensor module  720  for collecting and processing pressure data in accordance with at least one embodiment of the invention. Sensor module  720  can be utilized instead of or in addition to sensor module  320  and/or sensor module  420 . Sensor module  720  includes multiple instances of detectors that are similar to detectors  424  and  426  described above (for purposes of illustration, the detectors labeled as  724  are functionally equivalent to detector  424 , while the detectors labeled as  726  are functionally equivalent to detector  426 ). In the illustration shown in  FIG. 7 , there are total of eighteen of each type of detector, for a total of thirty-six detectors. The detectors are generally arranged in a matrix, whereby the detectors are laid out alternately by type (such that no two detectors next to each other are the same type). 
     The specific number of detectors, as well as the mix between detectors may vary without departing from the spirit of the present invention. In addition, the specific configuration in which the multiple detectors are laid out may also vary without departing from the spirit of the present invention. The use of multiple detectors of each type, however, provides an increased level of reliability in the determination of whether a “soft” button depression has occurred. This is, at least in part, because the use of multiple detectors of each type increases the resolution of the image that is ultimately created from the data retrieved from the detectors in a manner similar to the images shown in  FIGS. 6A and 6B . Thus, the single die shown as sensor module  320  in  FIG. 3  may, in fact, include multiple detectors of each type arranged in a specific configuration that increases the resolution of the created image, and thereby increases the likelihood that the processing module will correctly identify a “soft” button depression on the touch screen. 
       FIG. 8  shows an illustrative process  800  for collecting and processing pressure data in accordance with at least one embodiment of the invention. Process  800  can begin at step  802 . At step  804 , data is collected from one or more linear detectors, such as linear detector  424  described above. The data collected in step  804  should be data that is essentially representative of linear expansion (in either direction), and should not be significantly affected by inputs related to deflection. At step  806 , data is collected from one or more deflection detectors, such as deflection detector  426  described above. The data collected in step  806  should be data that is essentially representative of deflection pressure (in either direction), and should not be significantly affected by inputs related to linear expansion. 
     At step  808 , a set of collected data is sent from the sensor module (such as sensor module  420 ) to the processing module (such as processing module  440 ) via a standard type of interface. The data can be received by the processing module at step  810 . At step  812 , the received data can be processed into an image that is representative of the status of the substrate in the location of the indicia, such as indicia  20  described above. At step  814 , the image can be analyzed in order to determine whether a user event has occurred. Step  814  can determine whether the image is similar to image  600  (see  FIG. 6A ), in which case no user event has occurred, or whether the processed image is similar to image  620 , in which case a user event has occurred. The processing required for step  814  may be conventional image processing, but step  814  relies on the data received from both of the different type of detectors (i.e., detectors  424  and  426 ). 
     At step  816 , a decision is made as to whether a user event has occurred. If no user event has occurred, the process returns to step  804  and begins collecting data from the detectors again. If a user event has indeed occurred, the process moves on to step  818 , where the system causes the user event to be processed in the ordinary course. Once the user event has been addressed, the process returns to step  804  and begins collecting data from the detectors again. 
       FIG. 9  shows an illustrative process  900  for collecting and processing pressure data and at least one other type of data in accordance with at least one embodiment of the invention. In particular, process  900  is similar to process  800  with regard to data collected from detectors, such as detectors  424  and  426 , but process  900  is different than process  800  in that the processing of the data by the processing module also includes processing of additional data that is received from one or more additional sensors, such as a temperature sensor and/or a motion sensor. 
     Process  900  can begin at step  902 . Steps  904  and  906  are essentially the same steps as described above for steps  804  and  806 , respectively. At step  908 , however, process  900  collects data from at least one other sensor (for simplicity, the data collection from any and all other sensors is shown as a single step even though, in reality, it may require multiple sub-steps to complete). Step  908 , for example, may include collecting data from one or more temperature sensors that could measure the temperature at one or more locations on the substrate of the electronic device. Step  908 , for example, may include collecting data from one or more motion sensors that can help determine whether pressure on the substrate is constant or moving, and if it is moving, to better characterize the movement (such as a finger swipe or just a bump). Once all of the data for a given data set has been collected, process  900  can continue at step  910  by sending the collected data to the processing module. 
     At step  912 , the collected data is received by the processing module. The processing module processes the received data at step  914 , including the data received from the additional sensors, into an image for analysis. The processed image is analyzed at step  916 . This can result in an image match between the processed image and an image of the type shown in  FIG. 6A  or  FIG. 6B . The process continues at step  918  where it is determined whether a user event has occurred. If a user event has not occurred, the process returns to step  904 . If a user event has occurred, step  920  can cause that user event to be processed in the ordinary course of events. 
     It should be understood that the steps shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9  are merely illustrative. Any of the steps may be removed, modified, or combined, and any additional steps may be added, without departing from the scope of the invention. 
     The described embodiments of the invention are presented for the purpose of illustration and not of limitation.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20110930
Publication Date: 20141028
Grant Date: 20141028
Priority Date: 20110930
Inventors: RABU STANLEY
TAM CHING YU JOHN
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "G06F3/0414", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/04144", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/04144", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 47992104