US 12,147,625 B2
Flexible touch panel with piezoelectric force sensing
Michael Astley, Cambridge (GB); Xiang Cheng, Cambridge (GB); and Arokia Nathan, Cambridge (GB)
Assigned to Cambridge Touch Technologies Ltd., Cambridge (GB)
Appl. No. 17/627,101
Filed by Cambridge Touch Technologies Ltd, Cambridge (GB)
PCT Filed Jul. 3, 2020, PCT No. PCT/GB2020/051601
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jan. 13, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/009480, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 21, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 1910126 (GB), filed on Jul. 15, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0374097 A1, Nov. 24, 2022
Int. Cl. G06F 3/044 (2006.01); G01L 1/16 (2006.01); G06F 3/041 (2006.01); G06F 3/04886 (2022.01)
CPC G06F 3/0416 (2013.01) [G06F 3/0412 (2013.01); G06F 3/0414 (2013.01); G01L 1/16 (2013.01); G06F 3/044 (2013.01); G06F 3/04886 (2013.01); G06F 2203/04102 (2013.01); G06F 2203/04104 (2013.01); G06F 2203/04105 (2013.01)] 14 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus comprising:
a flexible touch panel comprising a layer of piezoelectric material arranged between a plurality of first electrodes and at least one second electrode; and
a touch controller connected to the plurality of first electrodes and configured to:
receive one or more piezoelectric signals from the plurality of first electrodes;
determine whether the one or more piezoelectric signals are indicative of a change in a bending state corresponding to one or more radii of curvature of the flexible touch panel; and
in response to a determination that the one or more piezoelectric signals are indicative of a change in the bending state, to determine the change in the bending state based on tracking at least one value associated with the change in the bending state; and
in response to a determination that the one or more piezoelectric signals are not indicative of a change in the bending state, and if the apparatus is in an awake mode, to determine a locations corresponding to one or more user interactions based on measurements comprising measurements of at least one of the one or more piezoelectric signals;
wherein the touch controller determines the change in the bending state based on the tracking of the at least one value associated with the bending state by tracking at least one value comprising a total duration associated with the change in the bending state.