One variation of a system for detecting inputs at a computing device includes: a substrate including top layer and bottom layers, an array of capacitance sensors arranged on the bottom layer, and an array of support locations adjacent the capacitance sensors; a touch sensor surface arranged over the top layer of the substrate; an array of spring elements coupled to the support locations, configured to couple the substrate to a chassis, and configured to yield to displacement of the substrate downward toward the chassis responsive to forces applied to the touch sensor surface; a coupling plate configured to couple to the chassis adjacent the spring elements and effect capacitance values of the capacitance sensors responsive to displacement of the substrate toward the coupling plate; and a controller configured to interpret force magnitudes of inputs on the touch sensor surface based on capacitance values of the capacitance sensors.

A sensing circuit is configured to measure a first physical quantity corresponding to a first capacitance being a parasitic capacitance formed in at least one of electrode groups including a plurality of first electrodes and a plurality of second electrodes, to thereby detect that significant change has occurred in the first capacitance due to touching of a conductor when an obtained first measurement value is out of a first range. The sensing circuit is further configured to measure a second physical quantity corresponding to a second capacitance formed between each of the plurality of first electrodes and each of the plurality of second electrodes, to thereby detect that significant change has occurred in the second capacitance due to compression of an insulating elastic layer based on a pressing force when an obtained second measurement value is out of a second range.

A baseline unit for use in a sensor system, the sensor system comprising N force sensors which output N sensor signals, respectively, where N≥1, the baseline unit configured to: monitor a measure of a rate of change of a sensor test signal, the sensor test signal being one of said N sensor signals or a signal derived from one or more of said N sensor signals; and in dependence upon the measure of the rate of change, control a stored baseline setting to control how a baseline test signal is calculated from said N sensor signals using a baseline-calculation method, the baseline-calculation method configured by the currently-stored baseline setting.

A highly configurable controller is described that includes a number of different types of control mechanisms that emulate a wide variety of conventional control mechanisms using pressure and location sensitive sensors that generate high-density control information which may be mapped to the controls of a wide variety of devices and software.

An apparatus comprising means configured to: determine if there is a touch at a tactile audio display comprising actuators configured to produce tactile feedback via touch at the tactile audio display in dependence on an input tactile feedback signal and to produce an acoustic audio signal from the tactile audio display in dependence on an input audio signal; and if there is a determined touch, perform a first differential signal processing on the input tactile feedback signal and the input audio signal, before provision to the actuators of the tactile audio display, to cause a relative attenuation between a lower frequency range and a higher frequency range for the input audio signal compared to the tactile feedback signal.

One variation of a method for characterizing inputs includes: scanning an array of sense electrodes at a first resolution to generate a first force image; detecting a first force input in the first force image; in response to a first geometry dimension of the first force input exceeding a first threshold, characterizing the first force input as a non-stylus input type; in response to the first geometry dimension of the first force input remaining below the first threshold: scanning the array of sense electrodes at a second resolution; detecting a second force input in a second force image; and, in response to a ratio of a force magnitude of the second force input to a geometry dimension of the second force input exceeding a second threshold, characterizing the first force input as a stylus input type; and outputting a location and a type of the first force input.

Provided are a touch sensor and a display device. The touch sensor includes a base layer; first electrode members arranged on the base layer in a first direction and spaced apart from one another in a second direction intersecting the first direction, each of the first electrode members including a first opening and a plurality of first touch electrodes electrically connected to one another in the first direction; second electrode members arranged on the base layer in the second direction and spaced apart from one another in the first direction, each of the second electrode members including a second opening and a plurality of second touch electrodes electrically connected to one another in the second direction intersecting the first direction; a first strain gauge including a portion located in the first opening and disposed in a first electrode row among electrode rows of the first electrode members; a second strain gauge including a portion located in the second opening and disposed in a first row among rows of the second touch electrodes; a first signal line connected to one end of the first strain gauge; a second signal line connected to another end of the first strain gauge and spaced apart from the first signal line; a third signal line connected to one end of the second strain gauge and the second signal line; and a fourth signal line connected to another end of the second strain gauge and spaced apart from the third signal line.

A display panel is provided. The display panel includes a first substrate; a second substrate arranged in opposite to the first substrate; and at least one group of force sensing modules. Each force sensing module include a plurality of force-sensitive units, and each force-sensitive unit includes at least two force-sensitive resistors disposed on different layers.

A system is for detecting a location of a touch input on a surface of a propagating medium. The system includes a transmitter coupled to the propagating medium and configured to emit a signal. The signal has been allowed to propagate through the propagating medium and the location of the touch input on the surface of the propagating medium is detected at least in part by detecting an effect of the touch input on the signal that has been allowed to propagate through the propagating medium. The system includes a piezoresistive sensor coupled to the propagating medium. The piezoresistive sensor is configured to at least detect a force, pressure, or applied strain of the touch input on the propagating medium.

A force-sensing touch panel (31) is described which includes a layer structure stacked in a thickness direction between first and second surfaces. The layer structure includes from first surface to second surface, a number of first electrodes (7) and a number of second electrodes (8), a layer of piezoelectric material (9), and a number of third electrodes (30). The first and second electrodes (7, 8) are configured to define a coordinate system for sensing a location of a force applied to the touch panel in a plane perpendicular to the thickness direction. The third electrodes (30) are configured such that signals received from the first, second and third electrodes (7, 8, 30) enable determining unique locations corresponding to two or more forces applied to the touch panel (31) concurrently.