U.S. patent application number 16/035541 was filed with the patent office on 2019-02-14 for touchscreen including force sensors.
The applicant listed for this patent is Intel Corporation. Invention is credited to Jiancheng Johnson Tao, Hong W. Wong.
Application Number | 20190050101 16/035541 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 50977569 |
Filed Date | 2019-02-14 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20190050101 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Tao; Jiancheng Johnson ; et
al. |
February 14, 2019 |
TOUCHSCREEN INCLUDING FORCE SENSORS
Abstract
Computing devices and at least one machine readable medium for
controlling the functioning of a touch screen are described herein.
The computing device includes a touchscreen having one or more
force sensors. The computing device also includes first logic to
detect a force applied to the touchscreen via the one or more force
sensors and second logic to control a functioning of the
touchscreen in response to the applied force.
Inventors: |
Tao; Jiancheng Johnson;
(Shanghai, CN) ; Wong; Hong W.; (Portland,
OR) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Intel Corporation |
Santa Clara |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
50977569 |
Appl. No.: |
16/035541 |
Filed: |
July 13, 2018 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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15423790 |
Feb 3, 2017 |
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16035541 |
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13976797 |
Jun 26, 2014 |
9600116 |
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PCT/CN2012/087073 |
Dec 20, 2012 |
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15423790 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 3/0414 20130101;
G06F 3/044 20130101; G06F 3/041 20130101; G06F 3/04142 20190501;
G06F 3/0416 20130101; G06F 2203/04105 20130101; G06F 2203/04106
20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06F 3/041 20060101
G06F003/041; G06F 3/044 20060101 G06F003/044 |
Claims
1-21. (canceled)
22. A mobile computing device, comprising: memory; a power source;
communication circuitry to interact with a network; a touchscreen
having a capacitive touch sensor, the touch sensor associated with
a first power state and a second power state, the first power state
being a lower power state than the second power state; a sensor to
detect application of a force on the touchscreen when the touch
sensor is in the first power state; and at least one circuit to:
determine satisfaction of a condition by the application of the
force; detect the application of the force at a location on the
touchscreen based on output from the sensor; and cause the touch
sensor to switch to the second power state in response to (1) the
satisfaction of the condition and (2) the location being in a
particular position of the touchscreen.
23. The mobile computing device as defined in claim 22, wherein the
touch sensor is to remain in the first power state when the
location is outside of the particular position of the
touchscreen.
24. The mobile computing device as defined in claim 22, wherein the
at least one circuit is to not switch to the second power state
when the condition is not satisfied.
25. The mobile computing device as defined in claim 24, wherein the
condition is satisfied when the force exceeds a threshold.
26. The mobile computing device as defined in claim 24, wherein the
condition is satisfied when the force is a continuous force applied
for a threshold period of time.
27. The mobile computing device as defined in claim 26, wherein the
continuous force is to include a sliding action along a particular
region of the touchscreen.
28. The mobile computing device as defined in claim 22, further
including a plurality of sensors to detect the application of the
force, the at least one circuit to determine the location of the
application of the force based on differences between an amount of
the force sensed by different ones of the plurality of sensors.
29. The mobile computing device as defined in claim 22, wherein the
at least one circuit is a processor.
30. One or more storage devices comprising instructions that, when
executed, cause a machine to at least: detect application of a
force on a touchscreen when a capacitive touch sensor of the
touchscreen is in a first power state, the first power state being
lower than a second power state; and determine satisfaction of a
condition by the application of the force; detect the application
of the force at a location on the touchscreen based on an output
from a sensor; and cause the touch sensor to switch to the second
power state in response to (1) the satisfaction of the condition
and (2) the location being in a predefined position of the
touchscreen.
31. The one or more storage devices as defined in claim 30, wherein
the instructions further cause the machine to cause the touch
sensor to remain in the first power state when the location is
outside of the predefined position of the touchscreen.
32. The one or more storage devices as defined in claim 30, wherein
the instructions further cause the machine to disregard the force
when the condition is not satisfied.
33. The one or more storage devices as defined in claim 32, wherein
the instructions cause the machine to determine the condition is
satisfied when the force exceeds a threshold.
34. The one or more storage devices as defined in claim 32, wherein
the instructions cause the machine to determine the condition is
satisfied when the force is applied in excess of a threshold amount
for at least a threshold period of time.
35. The one or more storage devices as defined in claim 32, wherein
the instructions cause the machine to determine the condition is
satisfied when the force includes a sliding action along a
particular region of the touchscreen and is applied in excess of a
threshold amount for at least a threshold period of time.
36. The one or more storage devices as defined in claim 30, wherein
the instructions further cause the machine to determine the
location of the application of the force based on differences
between an amount of the force sensed by different ones of a
plurality of sensors.
37. A mobile computing device, comprising: a power source; means
for connecting with a network; a touchscreen having a capacitive
touch sensor, the touch sensor associated with a first power state
and a second power state, the first power state being a lower power
state than the second power state; means for sensing application of
a force on the touchscreen when the capacitive touch sensor is in
the first power state; means for controlling the touchscreen by:
determining satisfaction of a condition by the application of the
force; and detecting the application of the force at a location on
the touchscreen based on an output from the means for sensing; and
causing the touch sensor to switch to the second power state in
response to (1) the satisfaction of the condition and (2) the
location being in a particular position of the touchscreen.
38. The mobile computing device as defined in claim 37, wherein the
touch sensor is to remain in the first power state when the
location is outside of the particular position of the
touchscreen.
39. The mobile computing device as defined in claim 37, wherein the
means for controlling is to disregard the force when the condition
is not satisfied.
40. The mobile computing device as defined in claim 39, wherein the
condition is satisfied when the force exceeds a threshold.
41. The mobile computing device as defined in claim 39, wherein the
force is applied in excess of a threshold amount for at least a
threshold period of time.
42. The mobile computing device as defined in claim 39, wherein the
force is to include a sliding action along a particular region of
the touchscreen and is applied in excess of a threshold amount for
at least a threshold period of time.
43. The mobile computing device as defined in claim 37, wherein the
means for controlling is to determine the location of the
application of the force based on differences between an amount of
the force sensed by different ones of a plurality of the means for
sensing.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The patent is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser.
No. 15/423,790, by Tao et al., entitled "Touchscreen Including
Force Sensors," filed Feb. 3, 2017, which is a continuation of U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 13/976,797 (now U.S. Pat. No.
9,600,116), by Tao et al., entitled "Touchscreen Including Force
Sensors," filed Jun. 26, 2014, which is a National Stage 35 U.S.C.
371 United States patent application of International Patent
Application No. PCT/CN2012/087073 by Tao et al. entitled
"Touchscreen Including Force Sensors," filed Dec. 20, 2012, each of
which is incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] One or more embodiments relate generally to a touchscreen of
a computing device. More specifically, one or more embodiments
relate to a touchscreen having one or more force sensors for
controlling various functions of the touchscreen.
BACKGROUND ART
[0003] According to current technologies, touch sensors within a
touchscreen of a computing device continuously monitor the
touchscreen to determine whether an object, such as a finger of a
user, has come in contact with the touchscreen. For example, in the
case of capacitive touchscreens, a capacitive touch sensor
continuously monitors the touchscreen to determine any changes in
capacitance that may be induced by contact with an object. However,
using such touch sensors to continuously monitor the touchscreen of
a computing device results in the consumption of a large amount of
power.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a computing device that may be
used in accordance with embodiments;
[0005] FIG. 2 is a schematic of a touchscreen including a number of
force sensors, in accordance with embodiments;
[0006] FIG. 3 is a process flow diagram showing a method for
controlling the functioning of a touchscreen using a number of
force sensors, in accordance with embodiments; and
[0007] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing tangible, non-transitory
computer-readable media that store code for controlling the
functioning of a touchscreen using a number of force sensors, in
accordance with embodiments.
[0008] The same numbers are used throughout the disclosure and the
figures to reference like components and features. Numbers in the
100 series refer to features originally found in FIG. 1; numbers in
the 200 series refer to features originally found in FIG. 2; and so
on.
DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
[0009] As discussed above, using touch sensors such as capacitive
touch sensors to continuously monitor the touchscreen of a
computing device results in the consumption of a large amount of
power. Therefore, embodiments described herein provide a
touchscreen that is monitored and controlled using a number of
force sensors within the touchscreen. The use of such force sensors
may result in a reduction of the power consumption of the computing
device because force sensors typically consume less power than
capacitive touch sensors and other types of touch sensors that are
used according to current technologies. In particular, the use of
such force sensors may reduce the idle power consumption of the
computing device by allowing the capacitive touch sensors or other
touch sensors to be disabled or in low power mode while the
computing device is in an idle mode.
[0010] In the following description and claims, the terms "coupled"
and "connected," along with their derivatives, may be used. It
should be understood that these terms are not intended as synonyms
for each other. Rather, in particular embodiments, "connected" may
be used to indicate that two or more elements are in direct
physical or electrical contact with each other. "Coupled" may mean
that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical
contact. However, "coupled" may also mean that two or more elements
are not in direct contact with each other, but yet still co-operate
or interact with each other.
[0011] Some embodiments may be implemented in one or a combination
of hardware, firmware, and software. Some embodiments may also be
implemented as instructions stored on a machine-readable medium,
which may be read and executed by a computing platform to perform
the operations described herein. A machine-readable medium may
include any mechanism for storing or transmitting information in a
form readable by a machine, e.g., a computer. For example, a
machine-readable medium may include read only memory (ROM); random
access memory (RAM); magnetic disk storage media; optical storage
media; flash memory devices; or electrical, optical, acoustical or
other form of propagated signals, e.g., carrier waves, infrared
signals, digital signals, or the interfaces that transmit and/or
receive signals, among others.
[0012] As used herein, the term "logic" encompasses any
functionality for performing a task. For instance, each operation
illustrated in the flowcharts corresponds to logic for performing
that operation. An operation can be performed using, for instance,
software, hardware, firmware, or any combinations thereof.
[0013] An embodiment is an implementation or example. Reference in
the specification to "an embodiment," "one embodiment," "some
embodiments," "various embodiments," or "other embodiments" means
that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described
in connection with the embodiments is included in at least some
embodiments, but not necessarily all embodiments. The various
appearances of "an embodiment," "one embodiment," or "some
embodiments" are not necessarily all referring to the same
embodiments. Elements or aspects from an embodiment can be combined
with elements or aspects of another embodiment.
[0014] Not all components, features, structures, characteristics,
etc. described and illustrated herein need be included in a
particular embodiment or embodiments. If the specification states a
component, feature, structure, or characteristic "may", "might",
"can" or "could" be included, for example, that particular
component, feature, structure, or characteristic is not required to
be included. If the specification or claim refers to "a" or "an"
element, that does not mean there is only one of the element. If
the specification or claims refer to "an additional" element, that
does not preclude there being more than one of the additional
element.
[0015] It is to be noted that, although some embodiments have been
described in reference to particular implementations, other
implementations are possible according to some embodiments.
Additionally, the arrangement and/or order of circuit elements or
other features illustrated in the drawings and/or described herein
need not be arranged in the particular way illustrated and
described. Many other arrangements are possible according to some
embodiments.
[0016] In each system shown in a figure, the elements in some cases
may each have a same reference number or a different reference
number to suggest that the elements represented could be different
and/or similar. However, an element may be flexible enough to have
different implementations and work with some or all of the systems
shown or described herein. The various elements shown in the
figures may be the same or different. Which one is referred to as a
first element and which is called a second element is
arbitrary.
[0017] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a computing device 100 that may
be used in accordance with embodiments. The computing device 100
may be a mobile computing device that includes a touchscreen 102,
such as a mobile phone, for example. The computing device 100 may
also be any other suitable type of computing device that includes a
touchscreen 102, such as an all-in-one computing system, laptop
computer, desktop computer, tablet computer, or server, among
others. The computing device 100 may include a central processing
unit (CPU) 104 that is configured to execute stored instructions,
as well as a memory device 106 that stores instructions that are
executable by the CPU 104. The CPU 104 may be coupled to the memory
device 106 via a bus 108. Additionally, the CPU 104 can be a single
core processor, a multi-core processor, a computing cluster, or any
number of other configurations. Furthermore, the computing device
100 may include more than one CPU 104. The instructions that are
executed by the CPU 104 may be used to direct the functioning of
the touchscreen 102 of the computing device 100.
[0018] The memory device 106 can include random access memory
(RAM), read only memory (ROM), flash memory, or any other suitable
memory systems. For example, the memory device 106 may include
dynamic random access memory (DRAM).
[0019] The CPU 104 may be connected through the bus 108 to a
human-machine interface (HMI) 110 configured to connect the
computing device 100 to the touchscreen 102. According to
embodiments described herein, the touchscreen 102 includes a number
of force sensors 112. For example, in various embodiments, the
touchscreen 102 includes four force sensors 112, wherein one force
sensor 112 is positioned at each corner of the touchscreen 102.
Various functions of the touchscreen 102 may be controlled based on
feedback from the force sensors 112.
[0020] The computing device 100 may also include a network
interface controller (NIC) 114. The NIC 114 may be configured to
connect the computing device 100 through the bus 108 to a network
116. The network 116 may be a wide area network (WAN), local area
network (LAN), or the Internet, among others.
[0021] The computing device 100 may also include a storage device
118. The storage device 118 may be a physical memory such as a hard
drive, an optical drive, a thumbdrive, an array of drives, or any
combinations thereof. The storage device 118 may also include
remote storage drives.
[0022] The CPU 104 may be connected through the bus 108 to a
touchscreen controller 120. In some embodiments, the touch
controller 120 resides within, or is coupled to, the HMI 110. The
touchscreen controller 120 may be configured to control the force
sensors 112 and any other sensors within the touchscreen 102. In
response to an external event, such as the computing device 100
transitioning from a sleep mode, idle mode, or standby mode to an
active mode, the CPU 104 may wake up the touchscreen controller 120
and allow the touchscreen 102 to be active and capture user input
on the touchscreen 102. This external event can also be triggered
by the force sensors 112. For example, when the computing device
100 is in an active state, the touchscreen controller 120 may also
be in an active state and may consume a large amount of power. The
timer of the computing device 100 can be set such that, when no
input is detected within a set interval, such as 0.5 second, the
touchscreen controller 120 will go into a low power state, or power
conservation mode. The computing device 100 may still be in an
active state. When the force sensors 112 detect user input, they
may activate the touchscreen controller 120 and allow the
touchscreen controller 120 to handle the user input via the
touchscreen 102. The force sensors 112 allow the touchscreen
controller 120 to cycle between active and lower power state and
reduce the overall power consumption of the touchscreen controller
120.
[0023] The block diagram of FIG. 1 is not intended to indicate that
the computing device 100 is to, include all of the components shown
in FIG. 1. Further, the computing device 100 may include any number
of additional components not shown in FIG. 1, depending on the
details of the specific implementation.
[0024] FIG. 2 is a schematic of a touchscreen 200 including a
number of force sensors 202A-D, in accordance with embodiments. In
various embodiments, the touchscreen 200 is a capacitive
touchscreen, such as a surface capacitive touchscreen, a projected
mutual capacitive touchscreen, or a projected self-capacitive
touchscreen. However, the touchscreen 200 may also be any other
suitable type of touchscreen. Further, in various embodiments, the
touchscreen 200 is implemented with a mobile computing device, such
as a mobile phone, or an all-in-one computing system. However, the
touchscreen 200 may also be implemented within any other suitable
type of computing device.
[0025] A first force sensor 202A, i.e., "F1," may be positioned at
a first corner 204A of the touchscreen 200. A second force sensor
202B, i.e., "F2," may be positioned at a second corner 204B of the
touchscreen 200. A third force sensor 202C, i.e., "F3," may be
positioned at a third corner 204C of the touchscreen 200. In
addition, a fourth force sensor 202D, i.e., "F4," may be positioned
at a fourth corner 204D of the touchscreen 200.
[0026] According to embodiments described herein, a force is
applied to a point 206 on the touchscreen 200. For example, as
shown in FIG. 2, a finger 208 of a user of the computing device may
press on the touchscreen 200 at a specific point 206. The computing
device may then determine the position of the point 206 at which
the force was applied to the touchscreen 200.
[0027] In various embodiments, the force sensed by each force
sensor 202A-D is different. Specifically, the amount of force
sensed by each force sensor 202A-D depends on the amount of force
applied to the touchscreen 200 and the position of the point 206 at
which the force was applied. Thus, the differences between the
amount of force sensed by each force sensor 202A-D, indicated in
FIG. 2 by arrows 210A-D, respectively, may be used to determine the
position of the point 206 at which the force was applied.
[0028] In addition, in various embodiments, it may be determined
whether the force applied to the touchscreen 200 exceeds a
specified threshold. The specified threshold may be determined by a
user or developer of the computing device, for example. If the
force does not exceed the threshold, then the application of the
force may be considered to be unintentional and may be ignored. For
example, if the touchscreen 200 comes into contact with another
item within a user's pocket or purse, the computing device may
determine that the application of the force was unintentional and,
thus, may not alter the state of the touchscreen 200 in response to
the application of the force.
[0029] If it is determined that the force applied to the
touchscreen 200 exceeds the threshold, the functioning of the
touchscreen 200 may be controlled based on the application of the
force. In some embodiments, the orientation of the computing device
is controlled based on the position of the point 206 at which the
force was applied to the touchscreen 200. In addition, in some
embodiments, the touchscreen 200 is activated from a deactivated
state if the force applied to the touchscreen 200 exceeds the
threshold. For example, the touchscreen 200 may be activated in
response to the application of a continuous force that exceeds the
threshold. In some cases, if the touchscreen 200 includes a lock
function, the continuous force may include a sliding action along a
particular region of the touchscreen 200, for example.
[0030] The schematic of FIG. 2 is not intended to indicate that the
touchscreen 200 is to include all of the components shown in FIG.
2. Further, the touchscreen 200 may include any number of
additional components not shown in FIG. 2, depending on the details
of the specific implementation.
[0031] FIG. 3 is a process flow diagram showing a method 300 for
controlling the functioning of a touchscreen using a number of
force sensors, in accordance with embodiments. The method 300 is
implemented by a computing device, such as the computing device 100
discussed with respect to FIG. 1. The computing device that
implements the method 300 includes a touchscreen having one or more
force sensors, such as the touchscreen 200 discussed with respect
to FIG. 2. For example, in some embodiments, a force sensor is
positioned at each corner of the touchscreen. In other embodiments,
a single force sensor is positioned at the center of the
touchscreen.
[0032] The method begins at block 302, at which a force applied to
a touchscreen of a computing device is detected via a number of
force sensors within the touchscreen. The force may be applied by a
finger of the user or a stylus, for example. In various
embodiments, the amount of force sensed by each force sensor varies
depending on the position on the touchscreen at which the force is
applied.
[0033] At block 304, it is determined whether the force applied to
the touchscreen exceeds a threshold. The threshold may be specified
by the user or developer of the computing device, for example.
[0034] At block 306, if the applied force exceeds the threshold,
the functioning of the touchscreen is controlled based on the
applied force. In some embodiments, controlling the functioning of
the touchscreen includes activating the touchscreen from a
deactivated or low power mode if the applied force exceeds the
threshold. In some cases, the touchscreen may be activated if the
applied force includes a continuous force applied to the
touchscreen in a specified position.
[0035] Furthermore, the position of the applied force may be
calculated based on differences between the forces sensed by each
force sensor. The orientation of the touchscreen may then be
controlled based on the position of the applied force.
[0036] In various embodiments, the touchscreen includes capacitive
sensing capabilities. Prior to detection of the applied force, the
force sensors may be enabled, and the capacitive sensing
capabilities may be disabled or in the lower power mode. The
capacitive sensing capabilities may only be enabled or switch to
active mode if the applied force exceeds the threshold. By allowing
the capacitive sensing capabilities of the touchscreen to be
disabled or in low power mode until an applied force that exceeds
the threshold is detected, the method 300 provides for a reduction
in the power consumption of the computing device.
[0037] The process flow diagram of FIG. 3 is not intended to
indicate that the blocks of method 300 are to be executed in any
particular order, or that all of the blocks are to be included in
every case. Further, any number of additional blocks may be
included within the method 300, depending on the details of the
specific implementation. For example, in various embodiments, the
computing device may be used as a digital weight scale device.
Specifically, the weight of an object positioned on the touchscreen
may be detected via the force sensors.
[0038] It is to be understood that, although embodiments are
described herein with respect to the use of a capacitive
touchscreen, such embodiments may also be applied to any other
suitable types of touchscreens. For example, touchscreens that
operate according to technologies such as ultrasound, infrared,
optic capture-camera, optical light scattering, or diffraction
technologies, among others, may be used according to embodiments
described herein.
[0039] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing tangible, non-transitory
computer-readable media 400 that store code for controlling the
functioning of a touchscreen using a number of force sensors, in
accordance with embodiments. The tangible, non-transitory
computer-readable media 400 may be accessed by a processor 402 over
a computer bus 404. Furthermore, the tangible, non-transitory
computer-readable media 400 may include code configured to direct
the processor 402 to perform the techniques described herein.
[0040] The various software components discussed herein may be
stored on the tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media 400,
as indicated in FIG. 4. For example, a touchscreen force detection
module 406 may be configured to detect a force applied to a
touchscreen via one or more sensors. In some embodiments, the
touchscreen force detection module 406 may also be configured to
determine whether the applied force exceeds a threshold, as well as
the point on the touchscreen at which the force was applied, for
example. In addition, a touchscreen control module 408 may be
configured to control the functioning of the touchscreen in
response to the applied force detected by the touchscreen force
detection module 406. In some embodiments, the touchscreen control
module 408 controls the touchscreen based on whether the applied
force exceeds the threshold and/or the point on the touchscreen at
which the force was applied.
[0041] The block diagram of FIG. 4 is not intended to indicate that
the tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media 400 are to
include all of the components shown in FIG. 4. Further, the
tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media 400 may include
any number of additional components not shown in FIG. 4, depending
on the details of the specific implementation.
Example 1
[0042] A computing device is described herein. The computing device
includes a touchscreen having one or more force sensors. The
computing device also includes first logic to detect a force
applied to the touchscreen via the one or more force sensors and
second logic to control a functioning of the touchscreen in
response to the applied force.
[0043] In some embodiments, the second logic is to determine
whether the applied force exceeds a threshold and control the
functioning of the touchscreen if the applied force exceeds the
threshold. In some embodiments, the second logic is to activate the
touchscreen from a deactivated mode in response to the applied
force. Further, in some embodiments, the second logic is to
activate the touchscreen from the deactivated mode if the applied
force includes a continuous force applied to the touchscreen in a
specified position.
[0044] In various embodiments, the one or more force sensors
include a number of force sensors, and the second logic is to
control the functioning of the touchscreen based on differences
between an amount of force sensed by each force sensor. The number
of force sensors may include a force sensor positioned at each
corner of the touchscreen.
[0045] The computing device may also include logic to identify a
position of the applied force and control an orientation of the
touchscreen based on the position of the applied force. In some
embodiments, the one or more force sensors include a number of
force sensors, and the position of the applied force is identified
based on differences between an amount of force sensed by each
force sensor.
[0046] In some embodiments, the touchscreen includes a capacitive
sensing capability, and the second logic is to control the
functioning of the touchscreen by enabling the capacitive sensing
capability of the touchscreen in response to the applied force.
Further, in some embodiments, the computing device includes logic
to detect a weight of an object positioned on the touchscreen using
the one or more force sensors.
[0047] The computing device may include a mobile phone. In some
embodiments, the computing device includes a touchscreen controller
to implement the first logic and the second logic. In other
embodiments, the computing device includes a processor to implement
the first logic and the second logic.
Example 2
[0048] A computing device is described herein. The computing device
includes a touchscreen having one or more force sensors and a
processor that is configured to execute stored instructions. The
computing device also includes a storage device to stores
instructions. The storage device includes processor executable code
that, when executed by the processor, is configured to detect a
force applied to the touchscreen via the one or more force sensors
and control a functioning of the touchscreen in response to the
applied force.
[0049] In some embodiments, the processor executable code is
configured to determine whether the applied force exceeds a
threshold and control the functioning of the touchscreen if the
applied force exceeds the threshold. In addition, in some
embodiments, the computing device includes a mobile phone.
[0050] In some embodiments, the processor executable code is
configured to activate the touchscreen from a deactivated mode in
response to the applied force. Furthermore, in some embodiments,
the one or more force sensors include a number of force sensors,
and the processor executable code is configured to identify a
position of the applied force based on differences between an
amount of force sensed by each force sensor and control an
orientation of the touchscreen based on the position of the applied
force.
Example 3
[0051] At least one machine readable medium is described herein.
The at least one machine readable medium includes instructions
stored therein that, in response to being executed on a computing
device, cause the computing device to detect a force applied to a
touchscreen of the computing device via one or more force sensors
for the touchscreen and control a functioning of the touchscreen in
response to the applied force.
[0052] In some embodiments, the instructions cause the computing
device to determine whether the applied force exceeds a threshold
and control the functioning of the touchscreen if the applied force
exceeds the threshold. In addition, in some embodiments, the
instructions cause the computing device to activate the touchscreen
from a deactivated mode in response to the applied force.
[0053] In some embodiments, the one or more force sensors include a
number of force sensors, and the instructions cause the computing
device to detect a position of the applied force based on
differences between an amount of force sensed by each force sensor
and control an orientation of the touchscreen based on the position
of the applied force. In some embodiments, a force sensor is
positioned at each corner of the touchscreen.
[0054] In some embodiments, the touchscreen includes a capacitive
sensing capability. The one or more force sensors may be enabled
and the capacitive sensing capability of the touchscreen may be
disabled prior to detection of the applied force. The instructions
may cause the computing device to enable the capacitive sensing
capability of the touchscreen in response to the applied force.
Further, in some embodiments, the instructions cause the computing
device to detect a weight of an object positioned on the
touchscreen using the one or more force sensors.
[0055] It is to be understood that specifics in the aforementioned
examples may be used anywhere in one or more embodiments. For
instance, all optional features of the computing device described
above may also be implemented with respect to either of the methods
or the computer-readable medium described herein. Furthermore,
although flow diagrams and/or state diagrams may have been used
herein to describe embodiments, the embodiments are not limited to
those diagrams or to corresponding descriptions herein. For
example, flow need not move through each illustrated box or state
or in exactly the same order as illustrated and described
herein.
[0056] The present embodiments are not restricted to the particular
details listed herein. Indeed, those skilled in the art having the
benefit of this disclosure will appreciate that many other
variations from the foregoing description and drawings may be made
within the scope of the present embodiments. Accordingly, it is the
following claims including any amendments thereto that define the
scope of the embodiments.
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