Distributed inflatable touch sensing

1. A distributed inflatable touch sensing system comprising:

a sensing bladder array, comprising:

a plurality of bladders;

a plurality of ports;

a plurality of passageways in fluid communication with the plurality of bladders and the plurality of ports, each of the plurality of passageways having a volume;

a first thermoplastic sheet having an interior surface and an exterior surface, the interior surface having a sealing portion and a plurality of non-sealing portions;

a second thermoplastic sheet having an interior surface and an exterior surface, the interior surface having a sealing portion and a plurality of non-sealing portions, wherein the sealing portion of the interior surface of the first thermoplastic sheet is fixedly attached to the sealing portion of the interior surface of the second thermoplastic sheet, wherein a first of the plurality of non-sealing portions of the interior surface of the first thermoplastic sheet and a first of the plurality of non-sealing portions of the interior surface of the second thermoplastic sheet form the plurality of bladders, and a second of the plurality of non-sealing portions of the interior surface of the first thermoplastic sheet and a second of the plurality of non-sealing portions of the interior surface of the second thermoplastic sheet form the plurality of passageways, and wherein the plurality of passageways are in fluid communication with the plurality of bladders;

a pressure regulator for regulating a pressure in the sensing bladder array, wherein the pressure regulator is in fluid communication with at least one of the plurality of ports;

a plurality of sensors for measuring the pressure in the sensing bladder array, wherein each of the plurality of sensors is in fluid communication with at least one of the plurality of ports; and

a processor in communication with the plurality of sensors configured to receive a plurality of pressure measurements from the plurality of sensors, and to determine which of the plurality of bladders has been depressed by a user.

2. The sensing bladder array of claim 1 , wherein

a third of the plurality of the non-sealing portions of the interior surface of the first thermoplastic sheet and a third of the plurality of non-sealing portions of the interior surface of the second thermoplastic sheet form the plurality of ports, wherein the plurality of ports are in fluid communication with the plurality of bladders, and

wherein the first thermoplastic sheet and the second thermoplastic sheet are made of a material selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, thermoplastic polyurethane, and polypropylene.

3. The distributed inflatable touch sensing system of claim 2 , wherein the sealing portions of the interior surfaces of the first and second thermoplastic sheets are fixedly attached using a heat seal.

4. The distributed inflatable touch sensing system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is programmed to receive a plurality of pressure measurements from each of the plurality of sensors over a fixed time period, determine, for each of the plurality of sensors, a time at which a maximum pressure is measured by each of the plurality of sensors, and determine which of the plurality of bladders has been depressed by the user based at least in part on the time at which the maximum pressure is measured by each of the plurality of sensors.

5. The distributed inflatable touch sensing system of claim 4 , wherein to determine which of the plurality of bladders has been depressed by the user, the processor is further programmed to: calculate a difference between the time at which the maximum pressure is measured by a first of the plurality of sensors and the time at which the maximum pressure is measured by a second of the plurality of sensors.

6. The distributed inflatable touch sensing system of claim 5 , wherein the calculated difference between the time at which the maximum pressure is measured by the first of the plurality of sensors and the time at which the maximum pressure is measured by the second of the plurality of sensors is dependent, at least in part, on the volume of each of the plurality of passageways.

7. The distributed inflatable touch sensing system of claim 6 , wherein the plurality of bladders and plurality of passageways are arranged to form a one-dimensional array, and wherein the plurality of sensors is three sensors.

8. The distributed inflatable touch sensing system of claim 7 , wherein to determine which of the plurality of bladders has been depressed by the user, the processor is further programmed to: calculate an identifier value using the following formula:

x

=

arctan

⁡

(

t

3

-

t

2

t

1

-

t

2

)

wherein x defines the identifier value, t 1 defines the time at which the maximum pressure is measured by the first of the plurality of sensors, t 2 defines the time at which the maximum pressure is measured by the second of the plurality of sensors, and t 3 defines the time at which the maximum pressure is measured by a third of the plurality of sensors.

9. The distributed inflatable touch sensing system of claim 8 , wherein to determine which of the plurality of bladders has been depressed by the user, the processor is further programmed to: compare the identifier value with a plurality of sets of predetermined ranges corresponding to each of the plurality of bladders, and determine which of the plurality of bladders has been depressed by the user when the identifier value is within one of the sets of predetermined ranges corresponding to one of the plurality of bladders.

10. The distributed inflatable touch sensing system of claim 5 , wherein at least one of the passageways contains a restriction, the restriction is defined by at least one of a porous material, a bend, and a reduced cross-sectional area, wherein the calculated difference is dependent, at least in part, on the restriction in at least one of the passageways.

11. A method for manufacturing a distributed inflatable touch sensing bladder array, the method comprising:

cutting a mask into a shape defining a plurality of bladder portions, passageway portions, and port portions;

disposing a porous material on each of the plurality of passageway portions of the mask;

attaching the mask having the porous material disposed thereon to an interior surface of a first thermoplastic sheet;

removing the plurality of passageway portions of the mask, wherein the porous material remains between each of the plurality of bladder portions;

placing a second thermoplastic sheet on the first thermoplastic sheet, wherein the portions of the interior surfaces of the first and second thermoplastic sheets which are in contact with the mask or the porous material define masked portions, and the portions of the interior surfaces of the first and second thermoplastic sheets which are not in contact with the mask or the porous material define un-masked portions; and

fusing the un-masked portions of the interior surface of the second thermoplastic sheet to the un-masked portions of the interior surface of the first thermoplastic sheet to form a heat-seal, thereby forming an air-tight volume between the masked portions of the interior surfaces of the first and second thermoplastic sheets.

12. The method for manufacturing a distributed inflatable touch sensing bladder array of claim 11 , wherein cutting a mask further comprises cutting a mask into a shape defining a plurality of bladder portions, passageway portions, and port portions, wherein the plurality of bladder portions and the plurality of passageway portions are arranged in a one-dimensional array.

13. The method for manufacturing a distributed inflatable touch sensing bladder array of claim 11 , wherein the first thermoplastic sheet and the second thermoplastic sheet are selected from the group consisting of a first polyethylene sheet and a second polyethylene sheet, a first thermoplastic polyurethane sheet and a second thermoplastic polyurethane sheet, and a first polypropylene sheet and a second polypropylene sheet.

14. The method for manufacturing a distributed inflatable touch sensing bladder array of claim 11 , wherein the mask is made of glassine paper.

15. The method for manufacturing a distributed inflatable touch sensing bladder array of claim 11 , wherein the porous material is selected from the group consisting of a porous polyester thread, a porous nylon thread, and a porous cotton thread.

16. The method for manufacturing a distributed inflatable touch sensing bladder array of claim 11 , the method further comprising:

affixing a first textile layer to an exterior surface of the first thermoplastic sheet; and

affixing a second textile layer to an exterior surface of the second thermoplastic sheet.

17. A distributed inflatable touch sensing system comprising:

a sensing bladder array, including:

a first thermoplastic sheet having an interior surface and an exterior surface, the interior surface having a sealing portion and a plurality of non-sealing portions;

a second thermoplastic sheet having an interior surface and an exterior surface, the interior surface having a sealing portion and a plurality of non-sealing portions, wherein the sealing portion of the interior surface of the first thermoplastic sheet is fixedly attached to the sealing portion of the interior surface of the second thermoplastic sheet, and a first of the plurality of non-sealing portions of the interior surface of the first thermoplastic sheet and a first of the plurality of non-sealing portions of the interior surface of the second thermoplastic sheet form a plurality of bladders, and a second of the plurality of non-sealing portions of the interior surface of the first thermoplastic sheet and a second of the plurality of non-sealing portions of the interior surface of the second thermoplastic sheet form a plurality of passageways, wherein the plurality of passageways are in fluid communication with the plurality of bladders, each of the plurality of passageways having a volume, and a third of the plurality of the non-sealing portions of the interior surface of the first thermoplastic sheet and a third of the plurality of non-sealing portions of the interior surface of the second thermoplastic sheet form a plurality of ports, wherein the plurality of ports are in fluid communication with the plurality of bladders; and

a porous material disposed in each of the plurality of passageways;

a pressure regulator for regulating a pressure in the sensing bladder array, wherein the pressure regulator is in fluid communication with at least one of the plurality of ports;

a plurality of sensors for measuring the pressure in the sensing bladder array, wherein each of the plurality of sensors is in fluid communication with at least one of the plurality of ports; and

a processor in communication with the plurality of sensors configured to receive pressure measurements from the plurality of sensors, wherein the processor is programmed to receive a plurality of pressure measurements from each of the plurality of sensors over a fixed time period, determine, for each of the plurality of sensors, a time at which a maximum pressure is measured by each of the plurality of sensors, and determine, based at least in part on the time at which the maximum pressure is measured by each of the plurality of sensors, which of the plurality of bladders has been depressed by a user.

18. The distributed inflatable touch sensing system of claim 17 , wherein the plurality of bladders and the plurality of passageways are arranged in a one-dimensional array, and the plurality of sensors is three sensors.

19. The distributed inflatable touch sensing system of claim 18 , wherein the plurality of bladders and the plurality of passageways are further arranged in a circular pattern.

20. The distributed inflatable touch sensing system of claim 17 , wherein the plurality of bladders and the plurality of passageways are arranged in a two-dimensional array, and the plurality of sensors is four sensors.