Apple has been granted a patent (quantity US 11755128 B2) for a “stylus with compressive pressure sensor” that hints an upcoming Apple Pencil that will reply to squeezes.
In regards to the patent
Within the patent Apple notes that number of handheld enter units exist for detecting enter from a consumer throughout use. For instance, a stylus may be utilized to offer enter by contacting a contact panel of an digital gadget.
Clearly, the Apple Pencil is one such gadget. Nonetheless, Apple is contemplating future variations of it that might reply to a consumer’s squeeze. It may embrace a number of sensors to detect a squeezing or compressive pressure in opposition to the physique of the stylus. The sensors may very well be capacitance sensors, pressure gauges, pressure resistive sensors, magnetic/inductive sensors, pneumatic sensors, piezo sensors, and/or optical sensors. The sensors may be configured to detect a compressive or squeezing pressure via an unbroken or steady outer floor of the stylus, permitting for consumer consolation.
Apple says the extra enter supplied by detecting squeezing or compressive pressure can permit the stylus to offer improved usability and on display/off display interplay with the digital gadget. For instance, the squeezing enter can present context delicate actions, program switching, instrument switching, affirmation of actions, and so on. The consumer can squeeze or compress the stylus at a pure grip place or different positions to offer completely different inputs to the digital gadget.
Abstract of the patent
Right here’s Apple’s summary of the patent: “A stylus enter gadget can permit a consumer to interface with an exterior digital gadget. The stylus can present an extra or different enter to the exterior digital gadget in response to a consumer making use of a compressive pressure to the gadget housing. The stylus can embrace a number of sensors to offer a sign in response to the compressive pressure utilized to the stylus.”
