An earphone includes a housing that defines a force input surface opposite a touch input surface. A spring member in the housing includes a first arm that biases a touch sensor toward the touch input surface. The spring member also includes a second arm that biases a first force electrode toward the housing and allows the first force electrode to move toward a second force electrode when a force is applied to the force input surface. A non-binary amount of the force is determinable using a change in a mutual capacitance between the first force electrode and the second force electrode. The mutual capacitance between the first force electrode and the second force electrode may be measured upon detecting a touch using the touch sensor.

A control device which allows an operator/user to follow the user's anatomical movement by following natural hand rotation, includes two independent detection sensors or sensor portions embedded in two different parts of the device, one in a fixed part and one in a mobile or rotative part, with resistance to mutual disturbance between the two. The device includes a knob portion rotatable about an axis of rotation, at least one sensor configured to sense a rotational position of the knob in relation to the axis of rotation, circuitry adapted to at least provide electrical power to the rotative knob portion, circuitry adapted to transmit the sensed rotational position of the knob, and a base portion rotatably coupled to the knob portion.

There is described a motor vehicle control device (10), with an at least partly electrically conductive control unit (12) which on an actuating surface (14) includes at least one capacitive actuating area (26), and a printed circuit board (20) associated to the control unit (12), which is spaced from the actuating surface (14) and comprises at least one electrode (34). The capacitive actuating area (26) comprises at least one sensor surface (24) provided on the actuating surface (14), which via at least one electrically conductive portion (28) of the control unit (12) and a press connection element (32) is electrically and directly connected with the at least one electrode (34) on the printed circuit board (20). The printed circuit board (20) and the control unit (12) are pressed against each other, wherein the press connection element (32) is mechanically connected with the electrode (34) and/or the electrically conductive portion (28). There is furthermore described a method for manufacturing an at least partly electrically conductive control unit (12) for a motor vehicle control device (10).

An earphone includes a housing that defines a force input surface opposite a touch input surface. A spring member in the housing includes a first arm that biases a touch sensor toward the touch input surface. The spring member also includes a second arm that biases a first force electrode toward the housing and allows the first force electrode to move toward a second force electrode when a force is applied to the force input surface. A non-binary amount of the force is determinable using a change in a mutual capacitance between the first force electrode and the second force electrode. The mutual capacitance between the first force electrode and the second force electrode may be measured upon detecting a touch using the touch sensor.

An electronic device such as a fabric item or other item may have control circuitry. Buttons such as fabric-based buttons may be mounted within the device. A user may depress the buttons when it is desired to control operation of the device. Each button may have sensor circuitry such as capacitive sensor circuitry or resistive sensor circuitry. A control circuit can monitor conductive structures in the button to detect changes in electrical button characteristics such as capacitance and resistance and thereby gather information on button press events. Fabric buttons may have fabric movable button structures that are coupled to fabric support structures by fabric biasing structures. The fabric biasing structures may contain strands of material that are configured to form bistable fabric springs and/or hinges. The biasing structures and other fabric structures in a fabric button may be formed from knit fabric or other intertwined strands of material.

A control system for a vehicle interior comprising a control element for a user to interact with is provided. The control element may comprise a sensing electrode configured to provide one or more electrical signals and a non-conductive cover material provided on or over the sensing electrode. The sensing electrode may be formed of or comprise a conductive plastic. The non-conductive cover material may be formed of or comprise a non-conductive plastic. The non-conductive cover material may be or comprise an outer layer, over-layer or skin of the control element. The non-conductive cover material may provide one or more touch interactive surfaces of the control element.

A touch window for a touch sensor includes: a touch member having a front surface and a rear surface, the front surface configured to be pressed by a user, a plurality of conductive printed portions printed on the rear surface of the touch member, the conductive printed portions being configured to respectively contact a plurality of conductive electrodes of the touch sensor, and a non-conductive film attached to the rear surface of the touch member and defining one or more through-holes. Inner surfaces of the one or more through-holes are configured to respectively surround the conductive printed portions and the conductive printed portions and the non-conductive film have different thicknesses from each other such that surface condensation on the conductive printed portions and surface condensation on the non-conductive film are spaced apart from each other.

An electronic device such as a fabric item or other item may have control circuitry. Buttons such as fabric-based buttons may be mounted within the device. A user may depress the buttons when it is desired to control operation of the device. Each button may have sensor circuitry such as capacitive sensor circuitry or resistive sensor circuitry. A control circuit can monitor conductive structures in the button to detect changes in electrical button characteristics such as capacitance and resistance and thereby gather information on button press events. Fabric buttons may have fabric movable button structures that are coupled to fabric support structures by fabric biasing structures. The fabric biasing structures may contain strands of material that are configured to form bistable fabric springs and/or hinges. The biasing structures and other fabric structures in a fabric button may be formed from knit fabric or other intertwined strands of material.

An earphone includes a speaker housing; a speaker positioned in the speaker housing; a stem extending from the speaker housing, the stem defining an input surface; a conductive object disposed within the stem; a flexible circuit positioned between the stem and the conductive object; a member positioned between the flexible circuit and the conductive object operable to allow the flexible circuit to move with respect to the stem; a force sensor electrode disposed within the flexible circuit; and a controller operable to determine an input to the earphone using a change in capacitance detected using the force sensor electrode, the change in capacitance corresponding to a non-binary amount of a force applied to the input surface. In some examples, the earphone further includes a touch sensor electrode disposed within the flexible circuit.

A compact electronic device has a touch sensor and/or a microphone that are concealed within a housing at least partially wrapped by an acoustically porous cover. In some implementations, the touch sensor includes a sensing portion and a contact portion extending from the sensing portion. While the sensing portion is placed in proximity to an interior surface of the housing to detect a touch on the housing, the contact portion is bent to electrically couple the sensing portion to a circuit board via two distinct electrical paths. In some implementations, an exterior surface of the housing includes a sealing area surrounding an aperture on the housing, and the acoustically porous cover is affixed to the sealing area via an adhesive. The adhesive covers the sealing area and permeates a thickness of the acoustically porous cover, thereby enabling formation of a controlled sound path to access the microphone via the aperture.