US Patent 10275068 Force sensing of inputs through strain analysis

An electronic device has a force sensor that determines a measure of applied force from a user contacting a cover glass of the device. In one embodiment, a frame at least partially encloses an interior of the electronic device and has an open end. A cover glass covers the open end of the frame and is movably connected to the frame to allow movement of the cover glass in response to one or more forces applied to an external surface of the cover glass. A plurality of strain probes is positioned under the cover glass, between the cover glass and the frame, and is arranged to output a plurality of strain signals response to the one or more forces applied to the cover glass. A force processing module is configured to at least calculate an amount of force applied to the cover glass based on the plurality of strain signals.