Two-dimensional sensor arrangement

• US 10,037,117 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2016
• Issued: 07/31/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2015
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Schott AG (Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung)
• Original Assignee: Schott AG (Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung)
• Inventors: Zenker, Thomas, Back, Franziska, Riethmueller, Franziska
• Primary Examiner(s): Pervan, Michael
• Application Number:
  US15/347,175
• Publication Number:
  US 20170160835A1
• Time in Patent Office: 629 Days
• Field of Search: 178 1801- 1907, 345173-178
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 7/086 touch control
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04107 Shielding in digitiser, i.e. guard or shielding arrangements, mostly for capacitive touchscreens, e.g. driven shields, driven grounds
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04108 Touchless 2D- digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface without distance measurement in the Z direction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04164 Connections between sensors and controllers, e.g. routing lines between electrodes and connection pads
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04166 Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/96 Touch switches specially adapted for electronic time-pieces with no moving parts G04G21/08
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/96066 Thumbwheel, potentiometer, scrollbar or slider simulation by touch switch

Abstract

A two-dimensional sensor arrangement is provided that detects locations, e.g. finger locations, in two or three dimensions, which is particularly suitable for touch-sensitive touchpads or touchscreens. The sensor arrangement includes a sensing zone in which a plurality of sensors are arranged, and contact zone, e.g. externally thereto, in which a plurality of electrically conductive contact points are arranged, which are connected to the sensors. The number of contact points is very small, although the electrically conductive components of the sensor arrangement form a single-layered network.

Claims

1. A two-dimensional sensor arrangement for detecting locations in two or three dimensions for touch-sensitive touchpads or touchscreens, comprising:

a sensing zone with a plurality of sensors arranged therein; and

a contact zone with a plurality of electrically conductive contact points arranged therein;

each of the sensors comprising a pair of electrodes consisting of a first electrode and a second electrode spaced apart from the first electrode by an electrically insulating electrode interspace; and

electrical connections provided between the electrodes and the contact points such that each of the electrodes is connected to one of the contact points and each of the contact points is connected to one or more of the electrodes;

each of the contact points being connected either to one or more of the first electrodes or to one or more of the second electrodes so that a first and a second set of contact points is defined, the first set comprising those contact points which are connected to the one or more first electrodes, and the second set comprising those contact points which are connected to the one or more second electrodes;

wherein any defined pair consisting of one of the contact points of the first set and one of the contact points of the second set is connected as a pair to a pair of electrodes of not more than one of the sensors; and

wherein the electrical connections between the electrodes and the contact points are either direct connections or are provided in the form of an electrically conductive electrode conductor;

wherein the contact points, the electrode conductors, and the electrodes collectively form a plurality of electrically conductive conduction areas each one comprising one of the contact points and the electrodes and electrode conductors connected to the respective contact point;

wherein the conduction areas form a single-layered network;

wherein the sensor arrangement comprises a plurality of adjacent rows in each of which some of the sensors are arranged adjacent to each other;

the rows at least comprising one row R₁, one row R₂ adjacent to the row R₁, one row R₃ adjacent to the row R₂, and one row R₄ adjacent to the row R₃;

wherein the first electrodes of the sensors arranged in the row R₁ and the first electrodes of the sensors arranged in the row R₄ are connected to a respective common contact point, which is designated as A;

wherein the first electrodes of the sensors arranged in the row R₂ and the first electrodes of the sensors arranged in the row R₃ are connected to a contact point different from the contact point designated as A;

wherein the second electrodes of the sensors arranged in the row R1 and the second electrodes of the sensors arranged in the row R₄ are connected to respective different contact points which are designated as plurality B; and

wherein the second electrodes of the sensors arranged in the row R₂ and the second electrodes of the sensors arranged in the row R₃ are connected to the contact points designated as plurality B.

2. The two-dimensional sensor arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the electrode interspaces between the first and second electrodes of the sensors is adjacent to those two conduction areas which comprise the first and the second electrode of the respective sensor.

3. The two-dimensional sensor arrangement as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the rows comprise two peripheral rows R and R′

which are distinguished by the fact of each having only one adjacent row; and

wherein the first electrodes of the sensors arranged in the row R and the first electrodes of the sensors arranged in the row R′

are connected to a common contact point.

4. A translation unit for a two-dimensional sensor arrangement as claimed in claim 1, in which the plurality of sensors is a number u*v of sensors arranged in a matrix having u rows and v columns, comprising:

one or more first contact point connections for connecting the contact points of the first set;

one or more second contact point connections for connecting the contact points of the second set; and

a number u of first control connections and a number v of second control connections which allow to operate the sensor arrangement as if each of the first electrodes of the sensors arranged in the same rows were connected to the same first control connections, and as if each of the second electrodes of the sensors arranged in the same columns were connected to the same second control connections.

5. A touch-sensitive touchpad, comprising:

a planar substrate having an exterior facing outer substrate surface and an opposite inner substrate surface facing away from the exterior; and

a two-dimensional sensor arrangement as claimed in claim 1 being arranged on the inner substrate surface for interaction with an exteriorly located user.

6. A touch-sensitive touchscreen, comprising:

a planar transparent substrate having an exterior facing outer substrate surface and an opposite inner substrate surface facing away from the exterior;

a pixel-based display element for luminous representation of information, having a front face display surface facing the inner substrate surface and facing the exterior; and

a two-dimensional sensor arrangement as claimed in claim 1 arranged on the inner substrate surface for interaction with an exteriorly located user.

7. A method for producing a two-dimensional sensor arrangement as claimed in claim 1 on a substrate, comprising applying a single-layered network of electrically conductive conduction areas onto the substrate.

8. A touch-sensitive control panel, comprising:

a planar transparent glass or glass ceramic substrate having an exterior facing outer substrate surface and an opposite inner substrate surface facing away from the exterior;

a pixel-based display element for luminous representation of information, having a front face display surface facing the inner substrate surface and facing the exterior;

a support for mounting the display element at a distance from the inner substrate surface; and

a two-dimensional sensor arrangement as claimed in claim 1 arranged on the inner substrate surface for interaction with an exteriorly located user.

9. A cooktop, comprising a touch-sensitive control panel as claimed in claim 8, which is arranged in a cold area of the cooktop.

10. A method for producing a touch-sensitive control panel as claimed in claim 8, comprising:

producing the two-dimensional sensor arrangement on the glass or glass ceramic substrate, including applying a single-layered network of electrically conductive conduction areas onto the substrate;

mounting a pixel-based display element to a support having connection terminals; and

mounting the support to the substrate at that face of the substrate on which the single-layered network of electrically conductive conduction areas is applied, whereby contact elements which are applied on the support unit are connecting the contact points of the sensor arrangement with the connection terminals of the support unit.

11. A two-dimensional sensor arrangement for detecting locations in two or three dimensions for touch-sensitive touchpads or touchscreens, comprising:

a sensing zone with a plurality of sensors arranged therein; and

a contact zone with a plurality of electrically conductive contact points arranged therein;

each of the sensors comprising a pair of electrodes consisting of a first electrode and a second electrode spaced apart from the first electrode by an electrically insulating electrode interspace; and

electrical connections provided between the electrodes and the contact points such that each of the electrodes is connected to one of the contact points and each of the contact points is connected to one or more of the electrodes;

each of the contact points being connected either to one or more of the first electrodes or to one or more of the second electrodes so that a first and a second set of contact points is defined, the first set comprising those contact points which are connected to the one or more first electrodes, and the second set comprising those contact points which are connected to the one or more second electrodes;

wherein any defined pair consisting of one of the contact points of the first set and one of the contact points of the second set is connected as a pair to a pair of electrodes of not more than one of the sensors;

wherein the electrical connections between the electrodes and the contact points are either direct connections or are provided in the form of an electrically conductive electrode conductor;

wherein the contact points, the electrode conductors, and the electrodes collectively form a plurality of electrically conductive conduction areas each one comprising one of the contact points and the electrodes and electrode conductors connected to the respective contact point;

wherein the conduction areas form a single-layered network;

wherein the sensor arrangement comprises at least one arrangement region in which at least some of the sensors are arranged in a matrix so that each of the locations of the sensors in the arrangement region can be defined as a location P_ij with a row index i and a column index j;

wherein the first electrodes of the four sensors arranged at locations P₁₂, P₂₂, P₁₃, and P₂₃ are connected to a common contact point which is designated as A;

wherein the first electrodes of the four sensors arranged at locations P₃₂, P₄₂, P₃₃, and P₄₃ are connected to a contact point different from the contact point designated as A;

wherein the second electrodes of the four sensors arranged at locations P₂₁, P₃₁, P₂₂, and P₃₂ are connected to a common contact point which is designated as B; and

wherein the second electrodes of the four sensors arranged at locations P₂₃, P₃₃, P₂₄, and P₃₄ are connected to a contact point different from the contact point which is designated as B.

12. The two-dimensional sensor arrangement as claimed in claim 11,

wherein the matrix comprises two peripheral rows with row indices i=1 and i=m, respectively;

wherein the second electrodes of the four sensors arranged at locations P₁₁, P₁₂, P_m1, and P_m2 are connected to a common contact point which is designated as C; and

/or

wherein the second electrodes of the four sensors arranged at locations P₁₃, P₁₄, P_m3, and P_m4 are connected to a contact point different from the contact point designated as C.

13. A two-dimensional sensor arrangement for detecting locations in two or three dimensions for touch-sensitive touchpads or touchscreens, comprising:

a sensing zone with a plurality of sensors arranged therein; and

a contact zone with a plurality of electrically conductive contact points arranged therein;

each of the sensors comprising a pair of electrodes consisting of a first electrode and a second electrode spaced apart from the first electrode by an electrically insulating electrode interspace; and

electrical connections provided between the electrodes and the contact points such that each of the electrodes is connected to one of the contact points and each of the contact points is connected to one or more of the electrodes;

each of the contact points being connected either to one or more of the first electrodes or to one or more of the second electrodes so that a first and a second set of contact points is defined, the first set comprising those contact points which are connected to the one or more first electrodes, and the second set comprising those contact points which are connected to the one or more second electrodes;

wherein any defined pair consisting of one of the contact points of the first set and one of the contact points of the second set is connected as a pair to a pair of electrodes of not more than one of the sensors;

wherein the electrical connections between the electrodes and the contact points are either direct connections or are provided in the form of an electrically conductive electrode conductor;

wherein the contact points, the electrode conductors, and the electrodes collectively form a plurality of electrically conductive conduction areas each one comprising one of the contact points and the electrodes and electrode conductors connected to the respective contact point;

wherein the conduction areas form a single-layered network;

wherein the matrix comprises two peripheral columns with column indices j=1 and j=n, respectively;

wherein the first electrodes of the four sensors arranged at the locations P₁₁, P₂₁, P₅₁, and P₆₁ are connected to a common contact point which is designated as D; and

/or

wherein the first electrodes of the four sensors arranged at locations P_1n, P_2n, P _5n, and P_6n are connected to a contact point different from the contact point designated as D.

14. A two-dimensional sensor arrangement for detecting locations in two or three dimensions for touch-sensitive touchpads or touchscreens, comprising:

a sensing zone with a plurality of sensors arranged therein; and

a contact zone with a plurality of electrically conductive contact points arranged therein;

each of the sensors comprising a pair of electrodes consisting of a first electrode and a second electrode spaced apart from the first electrode by an electrically insulating electrode interspace; and

electrical connections provided between the electrodes and the contact points such that each of the electrodes is connected to one of the contact points and each of the contact points is connected to one or more of the electrodes;

each of the contact points being connected either to one or more of the first electrodes or to one or more of the second electrodes so that a first and a second set of contact points is defined, the first set comprising those contact points which are connected to the one or more first electrodes, and the second set comprising those contact points which are connected to the one or more second electrodes;

wherein any defined pair consisting of one of the contact points of the first set and one of the contact points of the second set is connected as a pair to a pair of electrodes of not more than one of the sensors;

wherein the electrical connections between the electrodes and the contact points are either direct connections or are provided in the form of an electrically conductive electrode conductor;

wherein the contact points, the electrode conductors, and the electrodes collectively form a plurality of electrically conductive conduction areas each one comprising one of the contact points and the electrodes and electrode conductors connected to the respective contact point;

wherein the conduction areas form a single-layered network; and

wherein the sensor arrangement comprises at least one arrangement region in which a number w of the sensors is arranged in a square matrix, and wherein the number of the contact points which are connected to the electrodes of the sensors arranged in said arrangement region is less than w/2+w^1/2.

15. A two-dimensional sensor arrangement for detecting locations in two or three dimensions for touch-sensitive touchpads or touchscreens, comprising:

a sensing zone with a plurality of sensors arranged therein; and

a contact zone with a plurality of electrically conductive contact points arranged therein;

each of the sensors comprising a pair of electrodes consisting of a first electrode and a second electrode spaced apart from the first electrode by an electrically insulating electrode interspace; and

electrical connections provided between the electrodes and the contact points such that each of the electrodes is connected to one of the contact points and each of the contact points is connected to one or more of the electrodes;

each of the contact points being connected either to one or more of the first electrodes or to one or more of the second electrodes so that a first and a second set of contact points is defined, the first set comprising those contact points which are connected to the one or more first electrodes, and the second set comprising those contact points which are connected to the one or more second electrodes;

wherein any defined pair consisting of one of the contact points of the first set and one of the contact points of the second set is connected as a pair to a pair of electrodes of not more than one of the sensors;

wherein the electrical connections between the electrodes and the contact points are either direct connections or are provided in the form of an electrically conductive electrode conductor;

wherein the contact points, the electrode conductors, and the electrodes collectively form a plurality of electrically conductive conduction areas each one comprising one of the contact points and the electrodes and electrode conductors connected to the respective contact point;

wherein the conduction areas form a single-layered network;

wherein the conduction areas and the electrode interspaces define a bipartite planar graph which comprises a plurality of nodes of a first set of nodes, a plurality of nodes of a second set of nodes, and a plurality of edges, each of the edges extending between one of the nodes of the first set of nodes and one of the nodes of the second set of nodes;

wherein the conduction areas which comprise a contact point of the first set define the nodes of the first set of nodes and the conduction areas which comprise a contact point of the second set define the nodes of the second set of nodes; and

wherein the electrode interspaces between the first and second electrodes of the sensors each define an edge between the two nodes which are defined by the two conduction areas which comprise the respective first and second electrodes.

16. The two-dimensional sensor arrangement as claimed in claim 15, wherein the first set of nodes has a cardinality of two and the second set of nodes has a cardinality of greater than two, and wherein the graph is complete.

17. The two-dimensional sensor arrangement as claimed in claim 15,

wherein the plurality of sensors is a number u*v of sensors which are arranged in the sensing zone in a matrix having u rows and v columns;

wherein the first set of nodes has a cardinality of at most u*v/4+u/2;

wherein at least u*v/4−

u/2 of the nodes of the first set of nodes each have four neighboring nodes connected by edges;

wherein at most u of the nodes of the first set of nodes each have two neighboring nodes connected by edges;

wherein the second set of nodes has a cardinality of u*v/4; and

wherein the nodes of the second set of nodes each have exactly four adjacent nodes connected by edges.