US 11,720,177 B1
Coaxial independent haptic force sensing unit
Wu Chin-Chung, Yonghe Dist. (TW); Yong-Teng Lin, Yilan (TW); Chun-Kai Tzeng, KeeLung (TW); and Bradford Edward Vier, Taipei (TW)
Assigned to Dell Products L.P., Round Rock, TX (US)
Filed by DELL PRODUCTS L.P., Round Rock, TX (US)
Filed on Oct. 20, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/970,044.
Int. Cl. G06F 3/01 (2006.01); G06F 3/044 (2006.01); G06F 3/041 (2006.01)
CPC G06F 3/016 (2013.01) [G06F 3/044 (2013.01); G06F 3/04144 (2019.05); G06F 2203/04106 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A touch panel device, comprising:
a face plate configured to receive at a first surface a contact with the face plate;
a force-feedback device including:
a printed circuit board (PCB) affixed by a first surface of the PCB to a second surface of the face plate and including a first metallic ring on a second surface of the PCB; and
a piezo disc including a piezoelectric wafer and a second metallic ring, the piezo disc being adjacent to the second surface of the PCB; and
a touch panel circuit coupled to the first metallic ring, the second metallic ring, and the piezoelectric wafer, wherein when a first contact is received at the first surface of the face plate, the PCB moves closer to the piezo disc and in response, the touch panel circuit determines a first capacitance between the first metallic ring and the second metallic ring, determines a first force associated with the first contact based upon the first capacitance, and triggers a first haptic feedback response in the piezoelectric wafer.