US 11,733,112 B2
Characterization of force-sensor equipped devices
Tom Birchall, London (GB); Hamid Sepehr, London (GB); Colin Campbell, Austin, TX (US); Jason Kulpe, Austin, TX (US); Chin Yong, Austin, TX (US); and Pablo Peso Parada, London (GB)
Assigned to Cirrus Logic Inc., Austin, TX (US)
Filed by Cirrus Logic International Semiconductor Ltd., Edinburgh (GB)
Filed on Mar. 31, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/218,322.
Prior Publication US 2022/0316969 A1, Oct. 6, 2022
Int. Cl. G06F 3/04886 (2022.01); G06F 3/041 (2006.01); G01L 5/16 (2020.01)
CPC G01L 5/16 (2013.01) [G06F 3/0414 (2013.01); G06F 3/04886 (2013.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A computer-implemented method of generating a configuration definition for configuring a given type of device for a given use case defined by a use-case definition, the given type defining devices of that type as comprising a defined arrangement of a surface and N force sensors of the device concerned, where N≥2, each force sensor configured to output a sensor signal, wherein in the defined arrangement the N force sensors are operatively coupled to a defined input region of the surface so as to sense a force applied to that input region, the method comprising:
recording measurement data for devices of the given type by:
for a specimen device of the given type, performing at least one measurement procedure, each measurement procedure comprising at least one measurement operation, each measurement operation comprising applying a defined force at a corresponding location on the input region of the device concerned and recording measurement data for that device and location based on the sensor signals of the N force sensors of that device,
wherein each measurement procedure comprises P measurement operations, where P≥2, the respective locations for the P measurement operations on the input region of the device concerned being different from one another,
wherein the corresponding locations for the P measurement operations are distributed across the input region of the device concerned, and
wherein the method comprises performing each measurement procedure using a computer-controlled machine;
generating a characterization definition for devices of that type based on the recorded measurement data, wherein the characterization definition defines a response of devices of the given type to an applied force, and wherein generating the characterization definition comprises, based on the recorded measurement data, generating a characterization function per force sensor of the N force sensors, each characterization function defining a relationship between input region location and sensitivity of the force sensor concerned; and
generating the configuration definition based on the characterization definition and the use-case definition,
wherein generating the configuration definition comprises generating cross-talk information by determining from the characterization definition, for at least one of the N force sensors, a magnitude of the sensor signal for each other force sensor of the N force sensors at an input region location where the sensor signal for the force sensor concerned has its maximum value.