Abstract: One variation of a system for interfacing a computer system and a user includes: a touch sensor defining a touch sensor surface and extending over an array of sense electrode and drive electrode pairs; a vibrator coupled to the touch sensor surface; and a controller configured to: detect application of an input onto the touch sensor surface and a force magnitude of the first input at a first time; execute a down-click cycle in response to the force magnitude exceeding a threshold magnitude by driving the vibrator to oscillate the touch sensor surface; map a location of the input on the touch sensor surface to a key of a keyboard represented by the touch sensor surface; and output a touch image representing the key and the force magnitude of the input on the touch sensor surface at approximately the first time.

Abstract: The present invention relates to touch sensor detector systems and methods incorporating an interpolated variable impedance touch sensor array and specifically to such systems and methods for gesture recognition and associating a UI element with the recognized gesture. In one embodiment, the present invention provides a variable impedance array (VIA) system for receiving a gesture that includes: a plurality of physical VIA columns connected by interlinked impedance columns; a plurality of physical VIA rows connected by interlinked impedance rows; and a processor configured to interpolate a location and/or pressure of the gesture in the physical columns and rows from an electrical signal from a plurality of column drive sources (connected to the plurality of physical VIA columns through the interlinked impedance columns) sensed at a plurality of row sense sinks (connected to the plurality of physical VIA rows through the interlinked impedance rows).

Abstract: One variation of a system for detecting and responding to touch inputs with haptic feedback includes: a magnetic element rigidly coupled to a chassis; a substrate; a touch sensor interposed between the substrate and a touch sensor surface; an inductor coupled to the substrate below the touch sensor surface and configured to magnetically couple to the magnetic element; a coupler coupling the substrate to the chassis, compliant within a vibration plane approximately parallel to the touch sensor surface, and locating the inductor approximately over the magnetic element; and a controller configured to intermittently polarize the inductor responsive to detection of a touch input on the touch sensor surface to oscillate the substrate in the vibration plane relative to the chassis.

Abstract: One variation of a method for interfacing a computer to a human includes: detecting application of a first input onto a touch sensor surface and a first force magnitude of the first input; in response to the first force magnitude exceeding a first threshold magnitude, actuating a vibrator coupled to the touch sensor surface during a first click cycle and triggering an audio driver proximal the touch sensor surface to output a click sound during the first click cycle; detecting retraction of the first input from the touch sensor surface and a second force magnitude of the first input; and, in response to the second force magnitude falling below a second threshold magnitude less than the first threshold magnitude, actuating the vibrator during a second click cycle distinct from the first click cycle and triggering the audio driver to output the click sound during the second click cycle.

Abstract: Techniques for modifying surfaces of electrodes are provided. An electrode surface can be processed by applying an abrasive material or chemical solution to or against the surface to modify the surface to reduce the amount of roughness on, and/or alter the shape of, the surface. The shape of the surface can be altered by rounding or doming the surface. During surface processing, flexible or compressible support material can be applied to the back of an abrasive material, such as sandpaper, to desirably distribute pressure from the support material to the sandpaper and/or mold the shape of the sandpaper to facilitate maintaining desirable contact by the sandpaper on electrode surfaces. With regard to a flexible circuit board on which electrodes are formed, a vacuum chuck component or a temporary abrasive can be used to hold the circuit board in a flat and stationary position during surface processing.

Abstract: The present invention relates to touch sensor detectors incorporating interpolated variable impedance touch sensor arrays and specifically to detectors for non-planar touch controls. Variable impedance touch sensor arrays are applied to the surface of objects, inside objects, or other objects such that touches are detected directly or indirectly from the non-planar touch controls. An exemplary system includes a plurality of sensor panels on a plurality of device and a processor communicatively coupled to the sensor panels. The sensor panels include a plurality of physical VIA columns connected by interlinked impedance columns and a plurality of physical VIA rows connected by interlinked impedance rows. The processor detects touches at a first time at the sensor panels, determines that the two or more touches at the first time are arranged in a pattern corresponding to a predetermined gesture, and determines a relative pressure between the two or more touches.

Abstract: The present invention relates to touch sensor detector systems and methods incorporating an interpolated variable impedance touch sensor array and specifically to such systems and methods for gesture recognition and associating a UI element with the recognized gesture. In one embodiment, the present invention provides a variable impedance array (VIA) system for receiving a gesture that includes: a plurality of physical VIA columns connected by interlinked impedance columns; a plurality of physical VIA rows connected by interlinked impedance rows; and a processor configured to interpolate a location and/or pressure of the gesture in the physical columns and rows from an electrical signal from a plurality of column drive sources (connected to the plurality of physical VIA columns through the interlinked impedance columns) sensed at a plurality of row sense sinks (connected to the plurality of physical VIA rows through the interlinked impedance rows).

Abstract: One variation of a system for detecting and responding to touch inputs with haptic feedback includes: a magnetic element rigidly coupled to a chassis; a substrate; a touch sensor interposed between the substrate and a touch sensor surface; an inductor coupled to the substrate below the touch sensor surface and configured to magnetically couple to the magnetic element; a coupler coupling the substrate to the chassis, compliant within a vibration plane approximately parallel to the touch sensor surface, and locating the inductor approximately over the magnetic element; and a controller configured to intermittently polarize the inductor responsive to detection of a touch input on the touch sensor surface to oscillate the substrate in the vibration plane relative to the chassis.

Abstract: Metal oxide catalysts comprising various dopants are provided. The catalysts are useful as heterogeneous catalysts in a variety of catalytic reactions, for example, the oxidative coupling of methane to C2 hydrocarbons such as ethane and ethylene. Related methods for use and manufacture of the same are also disclosed.

Abstract: Metal oxide catalysts comprising various dopants are provided. The catalysts are useful as heterogenous catalysts in a variety of catalytic reactions, for example, the oxidative coupling of methane to C2 hydrocarbons such as ethane and ethylene. Related methods for use and manufacture of the same are also disclosed.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides systems and methods for producing olefins via an oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) process. The systems and methods may comprise the use of a staged process comprising at least one non-adiabatic section that is in thermal communication with a heat transfer medium and at least one substantially adiabatic section. The systems and methods may also comprise the use of a diluent stream which may improve methane conversion in an OCM reactor and an ethylene/ethane ratio in a post-bed cracking unit. The methods and systems may further comprise injecting oxygen (O2) and a paraffin into a gas stream containing a radical transfer agent to provide a reaction mixture. The reaction mixture may be held in a vessel for a time period greater than an auto-ignition delay time (AIDT), such that the reaction mixture may ignite to liberate heat and convert to a product mixture comprising olefins.

Abstract: One variation of a tram system includes: a chassis; a latch configured to selectively engage a latch receiver mounted to an aircraft; an alignment feature adjacent the latch and configured to engage an alignment receiver mounted to the aircraft and to communicate acceleration and braking forces from the chassis into the aircraft; an optical sensor facing upwardly from the chassis; a drivetrain configured to accelerate and decelerate the chassis along a runway; and a controller configured to detect an optical fiducial arranged on the aircraft in optical images recorded by the optical sensor adjust a speed of the drivetrain to longitudinally align the alignment feature with the alignment receiver based on positions of the optical fiducial detected in the optical images, trigger the latch to engage the latch receiver once the aircraft has descended onto the chassis, and trigger the drivetrain to actively decelerate the chassis during a landing routine.

Abstract: Systems and methods for generating a compressive pre-load in a resistive touch center through the lamination of differently curved surfaces. The system comprising a processor; and a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising: determining a first curvature of a rigid back layer comprising a grouping of sensor electrodes; determining a second curvature of a flexible surface layer; and as a function of the first curvature and the second curvature facilitating lamination of the flexible surface layer to the rigid back layer.

Abstract: A tactile touch sensor (TTS) system and method allowing physical augmentation of a high-resolution touch sensor array (TSA) is disclosed. Physical augmentation is accomplished using a TSA physical overlay (TPO) placed on top of the TSA. The TPO is constructed to transmit forces to the underlying TSA. Force transmission is accomplished by either using a flexible overlay or with a rigid mechanical overlay that transmits user forces exerted on the overlay to the underlying TSA. Incorporation of TPO identifiers (TPI) within the TPO permits identification of the TPO by a TPO detector (TPD) allowing operational characteristics of the TSA to be automatically reconfigured to conform to the currently applied TPO structure by a user computing device (UCD). The UCD may be configured to automatically load an appropriate application software driver (ASD) in response to a TPI read by the TPD from the currently applied TPO.

Abstract: Facilitating dynamic adjustment of a click/unclick threshold corresponding to a force-based tactile sensor is presented herein. A system can comprise a tactile sensor comprising force-based sensor(s); and a motion detection component that can determine a rate of change of a movement that has been detected via a group of sensors comprising the force-based sensor(s), and based on the rate of change of the movement, modify a defined sensitivity of the force-based sensor(s) with respect to detection of a click and/or unclick event corresponding to the tactile sensor. Further, the motion detection component can decrease the defined sensitivity with respect to detection of the click and/or unclick event in response to the rate of change being determined to satisfy a defined condition representing an increase in the speed at which the stylus or the finger has moved across the tactile sensor.

Abstract: Catalysts, catalytic materials having catalysts present on supports and catalytic methods are provided. The catalysts, catalytic material and methods are useful in a variety of catalytic reactions, for example, the oxidative coupling of methane.

Abstract: One variation of a method for detecting and characterizing force inputs on a surface includes: during a resistance scan cycle of a sampling period, driving a shield electrode arranged over a resistive touch sensor to a reference potential and reading resistance values across sense electrode and drive electrode pairs in the resistive touch sensor; during a processing cycle of the sampling period, transforming the resistance values into a position and a magnitude of a force applied to a tactile surface over the shield electrode, releasing the shield electrode from the reference potential, reading a capacitance value of the shield electrode, and detecting proximity of an object to the tactile surface based on the capacitance value; and generating a touch image representing the position and the magnitude of the force on the tactile surface based on the proximity of the object to the tactile surface.

Abstract: Systems and methods for generating a compressive pre-load in a resistive touch center through the lamination of differently curved surfaces. The system comprising a processor; and a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising: determining a first curvature of a rigid back layer comprising a grouping of sensor electrodes; determining a second curvature of a flexible surface layer; and as a function of the first curvature and the second curvature facilitating lamination of the flexible surface layer to the rigid back layer.

Abstract: A method for improving flexibility of a circuit board, e.g., comprising a touch-based sensor, and reducing manufacturing costs by eliminating routing around a border of the touch-based sensor is presented herein. The method comprises forming an array of touch sensors on a first side of the circuit board, in which portions of the circuit board located between three edges of the circuit board and a border of the array of touch sensors exclude traces; and forming first traces between respective second traces in a singular direction on a second side of the circuit board, in which the first traces are electrically coupled, using a first group of vias, to respective rows of the array of touch sensors, and the second traces are electrically coupled, using a second group of vias, to respective columns of the array of touch sensors.

Abstract: The present invention relates to touch sensor systems and methods incorporating an interpolated variable impedance touch sensor array and specifically to such systems and methods for indirect force-aware touch control. An exemplary method for receiving an adjustment gesture formed on or about a plurality of sensor panels on a plurality of faces of a device includes detecting two or more touches at a first time at the plurality of sensor panels and determining that the touches at the first time are arranged in a pattern corresponding to a predetermined gesture. The method further includes determining a relative pressure between the touches, associating the gesture with a user interface element (that accepts an adjustment input based on the relative pressure between the two or more touches) and providing an input to the user interface element based on the gesture and relative pressure between the touches.