You know how some Galaxy Note tablets (bigger models) can detect how hard you press the screen. Samsung secured a patent how to make this technology more affordable.
The filing with the USPTO describes a “touch display apparatus sensing touch force” that doesn’t require a separate force-sensitive sensor, which increases the production costs of the display. Rather, the company suggests cramming a tiny force-sensing processor into the display itself. This processor includes an electrode resistor and a reference resistor, both of which are connected to several very thin layers of piezo-resistive materials like graphene or carbon nanotube that have different resistances.
So once the display is touched, these layers will provide the miniature on-display chip with feedback about the duration of the touch input. The tiny processor will then determine whether it’s a “soft touch or a hard touch.”
No word when this technology will be out in Samsung tablets (or smartphones) but since it saves cash in the production phase, chances are we’ll see it implemented soon…
[Via: PhoneArena]