Apple patents side electrodes to improve touch detection on device edges
Apple describes a design that adds extra sensors to the sides of a device's touch surface to catch touches that the main screen might miss. These auxiliary electrodes help reduce errors when you touch near the edges or in areas where the standard sensors are less effective.
In the filing’s own words
A plurality of auxiliary electrodes added to an electronic device improves touch detection on a first surface of the electronic device. In some examples, the plurality of auxiliary electrodes are disposed outside of a first dimension of the first surface and non-parallel to the first surface. In some examples, the electronic device is configured to reduce touch detection error caused by a dead-band region of the first surface using the plurality of auxiliary electrodes. In some examples, the electronic device is configured to reduce touch detection error caused by an input provided by an object near an edge of the first surface using the plurality of auxiliary electrodes.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. An electronic device comprising: a housing comprising a first surface with a first dimension; a plurality of touch-node electrodes disposed beneath the first surface, wherein the plurality of touch-node electrodes extends along a first plane that is parallel to the first surface; and a plurality of auxiliary electrodes disposed outside of the first dimension of the first surface, wherein at least a first electrode of the plurality of auxiliary electrodes extends along a second plane that is non-parallel to the first surface; wherein the electronic device is configured to detect an input corresponding to movement of an object relative to the first dimension of the first surface using one or more signals from the plurality of touch-node electrodes and one or more signals from the plurality of auxiliary electrodes, including a first signal from a first auxiliary electrode that extends along the second plane that is non-parallel to the first surface.
Facts
- Company
- Apple (Apple Inc.)
- Official title
- Devices and methods for detecting input to a touch-sensitive surface
- Patent number
- US12737085B1
- Application number
- 18399160
- Filed
- Dec 28, 2023
- Granted
- Sep 15, 2026
- Inventors
- 2
- Claims
- 20
Classified under
G06F 3/044 Physics & computingG06F 3/04164 Physics & computingMore from Apple in Phones & computers
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.