Provided is a metal touch sensing apparatus in which recognition performance thereof is improved, a plurality of touch parts are successively manipulated to enter into a specific mode, thereby preventing a refrigerator from being malfunctioned, and touch sensitivity of the refrigerator to be touched for the manipulation is visually adjusted, and a home appliance including the touch apparatus and a method for controlling the same.

A portable computer includes a display portion comprising a display and a base portion pivotally coupled to the display portion. The base portion may include a bottom case and a top case, formed from a dielectric material, coupled to the bottom case. The top case may include a top member defining a top surface of the base portion and a sidewall integrally formed with the top member and defining a side surface of the base portion. The portable computer may also include a sensing system including a first sensing system configured to determine a location of a touch input applied to the top surface of the base portion and a second sensing system configured to determine a force of the touch input.

Provided is a metal touch sensing apparatus in which recognition performance thereof is improved, a plurality of touch parts are successively manipulated to enter into a specific mode, thereby preventing a refrigerator from being malfunctioned, and touch sensitivity of the refrigerator to be touched for the manipulation is visually adjusted, and a home appliance including the touch apparatus and a method for controlling the same.

The present invention relates to automotive interface systems and methods. In one embodiment, an automotive interface system includes a steering wheel and an integrated interpolated variable impedance array that comprises a grid of sensing elements. The sensing elements are configured to power on simultaneously and to simultaneously generate multiple currents along multiple current paths in response to sensing a touch wherein the amount of current generated by a sensing element of the grid is directly proportional to the force applied by the touch. The automotive interface system also includes an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and a processor communicatively coupled to the interpolated variable impedance array that are configured to receive the multiple currents along multiple current paths and determine a location, a duration, an area, and a force of the touch from the multiple currents along multiple current paths.

The invention relates to the use of the modulation of an audio and/or visual signal by a variation in the impedance of at least one contact with the skin of at least one user, for the maintenance and/or development of the user's physical and/or mental abilities. The invention comprises the use of a device (100) for controlling the delivery of a medium, said device comprising: a first skin electrode (105) configured to generate electric waves, positioned against the skin of a first user; a second skin electrode (110) configured to capture electric waves, positioned against the skin of a second user, where the second user can be the first user; a detector (115) for detecting the value of an impedance parameter of the junction connecting the electrodes and passing through the contact with the skin of each user; and a control means (120) configured to transmit a medium-delivery command according to the value detected.

An item such as a fabric-based item may have one or more input devices. The input devices may have terminals that are electrically coupled to control circuitry. The control circuitry may make resistance measurements, capacitance measurements, and other measurements on the input devices to determine whether the input devices have been pressed by a user's finger or have otherwise received input. The input devices may be used to form an array of switches for a keyboard, may form buttons on an electronic device housing or case, may be part of an item of clothing, or may be incorporated into other items such as fabric-based items. The input devices may have collapsible fabric structures such as collapsible fabric domes. The terminals of the input devices may be formed from conductive strands of material in the fabric domes or may be supported by other structures that buckle under applied pressure.

A touchscreen resistive sensor includes a network of resistive sensor branches coupled to a number of sensor nodes arranged at touch locations of the touchscreen. A test sequence is performed by sequentially applying to each sensor node a reference voltage level, jointly coupling to a common line the other nodes, sensing a voltage value at the common line, and declaring a short circuit condition as a result of the voltage value sensed at the common line reaching a short circuit threshold. A current value level flowing at the sensor node to which the reference voltage level is applied is sensed and a malfunction of the resistive sensor branch coupled with the sensor node to which a reference voltage level is applied is generated as a result of the current value sensed at the sensor node reaching an upper threshold or lower threshold.

An electronic device such as a voice-controlled speaker may have an array of strain gauges and light-emitting diodes. The light-emitting diodes may be configured to display dynamically adjustable button icons overlapping the strain gauges. Force measurements from the strain gauges may be used to adjust speaker output and other device operations.

A touch panel includes a first sheet and a second sheet that are disposed opposing each other. A first conductive path and a second conductive path are formed facing each other on main surfaces of the first sheet and the second sheet, respectively. The second conductive path is spaced apart from the first conductive path when viewed in the normal direction of the first sheet. On the main surface of the second sheet, pressure-detecting conductive paths electrically connected to the second conductive path are arranged. The pressure-detecting conductive paths intersect the first conductive path as viewed in the normal direction. Structures are disposed on a second sheet main surface not opposing the first sheet, and cause flexing of the corresponding pressure-detecting conductive path to contact the first conductive path when pressed down.

The present invention relates to a method of converting a composite sheet into a multifunctional flexible keypad. The method according to the invention includes preparing a composite sheet including a flexible sheet and conductive particles dispersed therein, detecting and collecting position information on an applied pressure and a change in electrical resistance of the composite sheet from a plurality of probe terminals provided on the sheet while applying a pressure a plurality of times to an arbitrary position of the composite sheet, performing machine learning using the collected position information and electrical resistance information, and estimating position information on a pressure applied by a user to the composite sheet by using a Deep Neural Network (DNN) model derived through the machine learning when the user applies the pressure to a predetermined position of the composite sheet.