Method for disambiguating multiple touches on a projection-scan touch sensor panel

• US 10,268,320 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2010
• Issued: 04/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Westerman, Wayne Carl, Grunthaner, Martin Paul, Hotelling, Steven Porter, Mullens, Christopher Tenzin
• Primary Examiner(s): Mummalaneni, Nalini
• Application Number:
  US12/852,133
• Publication Number:
  US 20120032895A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,182 Days
• Field of Search: 345173, 178 1801- 1806
• 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 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes

Abstract

A touch sensor panel is disclosed. The touch sensor panel includes a plurality of rows, at least one of the rows being a split row including a plurality of row subsections; and a plurality of columns, at least one of the columns being a split column including a plurality of column subsections. The touch sensor panel is configured with at least one split row and at least one split column located to increase a likelihood that a touch anywhere on the touch sensor panel overlaps with at least one split row and at least one split column. The rows and columns are individually charged electrodes capable of detecting a change in capacitance in a corresponding area of the touch sensor panel.

Claims

1. A touch sensor panel comprising:

a plurality of rows formed on a first layer and comprising at least one non-split row and at least one split row including a plurality of row subsections; and

a plurality of columns formed on a second layer and comprising at least one non-split column and at least one split column including a plurality of column subsections;

wherein the touch sensor panel is configured with at least one split row and at least one split column located such that a touch anywhere on the touch sensor panel at least partially overlaps with at least one split row and at least one split column, and

wherein the rows and columns are individually charged electrodes capable of detecting a change in capacitance in a corresponding area of the touch sensor panel and wherein at least one row overlaps with at least one column.

2. The touch sensor panel of claim 1, wherein the at least one split row and the at least one split column in the touch sensor panel are located such that a touch anywhere on the touch sensor panel at least partially overlaps with only one split row and one split column.

3. The touch sensor panel of claim 1, the touch sensor panel further configured with a minimum a number of split rows so that a touch anywhere on the touch sensor panel overlaps with one and only one split row.

4. The touch sensor panel of claim 1, the touch sensor panel further configured with a minimum a number of split columns so that a touch anywhere on the touch sensor panel overlaps with one and only one split column.

5. The touch sensor panel of claim 1, the touch sensor panel communicatively coupled to a processor configured for generating individual profiles for each subsection of a split row or split column.

6. The touch sensor panel of claim 1, the touch sensor panel communicatively coupled to a processor configured for calculating a ratio between signals detected by the subsections of a split row or split column.

7. The touch sensor panel of claim 1, the touch sensor panel communicatively coupled to a processor configured for estimating a location of a touch on a non-split conductive region.

8. The touch sensor panel of claim 7, wherein the non-split conductive region comprises an undivided whole row or an undivided whole column.

9. The touch sensor panel of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured for estimating the location of the touch on the non-split conductive region by using a ratio between signals detected by subsections of a split row or split column adjacent to the non-split conductive region.

10. The touch sensor panel of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured for estimating the location of the touch on the non-split conductive region by using a ratio between signals detected by subsections of a split row and a ratio between signals detected by subsections of a split column.

11. The touch sensor panel of claim 1, the touch sensor panel communicatively coupled to a processor configured for generating a multi-touch image that is a two-dimensional array of touch pixels from the at least one split row and the at least one split column.

12. The touch sensor panel of claim 1, wherein the touch sensor panel is a self-capacitive touch sensor panel.

13. A touch sensor panel comprising:

at least one split elongated electrode including a plurality of electrode subsections separated by one or more breaks, each subsection capable of generating a separate touch signal; and

at least one non-split elongated electrode adjacent and in parallel to the at least one split elongated electrode, each non-split elongated electrode capable of generating a separate touch signal,

wherein the at least one split elongated electrode is located such that a touch anywhere on the touch sensor panel at least partially overlaps at least one split elongated electrode; and

wherein a ratio between touch signals detected by the electrode subsections of at least one split elongated electrode is used for estimating the location of a touch on the at least one non-split elongated electrode.

14. The touch sensor panel of claim 13, the touch sensor panel communicatively coupled to a processor configured for generating individual profiles for each electrode subsection of the at least one split elongated electrode.

15. The touch sensor panel of claim 13, wherein the touch sensor panel is a self-capacitive touch sensor panel.

16. A method for touch location detection on a touch sensor panel, the touch sensor panel including a split conductive region adjacent to a non-split conductive region, the split conductive region and the non-split conductive region on a same layer, the method comprising:

determining a signal ratio of subsections of the split conductive region;

applying the signal ratio to virtual subsections of the non-split conductive region adjacent to the split conductive region on the same layer; and

estimating a location of touch on the non-split conductive region in response to the signal ratio applied to the virtual subsections of the non-split conductive region.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the non-split conductive region comprises at least a whole row electrode or a whole column electrode.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the split conductive region comprises a split row electrode or a split column electrode.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein applying the signal ratio comprises dividing a signal of the non-split conductive region between at least two virtual subsections of the non-split conductive region in accordance with the signal ratio.

20. A method for touch location detection on a touch sensor panel, the touch sensor panel including a plurality of rows on a first layer, at least one of which being a split row and another being a non-split row, and a plurality of columns on a second layer, at least one of which being a split column and another being a non-split column and at least one row overlapping with at least one column, the method comprising:

dividing the touch sensor panel into a plurality of sections, each of the plurality of sections overlapping, at least partially, one of the at least one split row and one of the at least one split column;

calculating a sum or an average for each of the plurality of sections in response to signals from the one split row and one split column;

calculating a split ratio for each of the plurality of columns and rows in response to the calculated sums or averages of the sections; and

determining a location of touch on the touch sensor panel based on the split ratios of the plurality of columns and rows.

21. The method of claim 20, the touch sensor panel divided into four quadrants, each of the quadrants overlapping one split row and one split column, the method further comprising calculating the sum or average for each of the quadrants in response to signals from the one split row and one split column.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein calculating the split ratios further comprises calculating a ratio between the quadrant sums or averages of two adjacent quadrants.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising minimizing a number of the split rows and a number of the split columns so that a touch anywhere on the touch sensor panel overlaps only one split row and one split column.

24. A method for touch location detection on a touch sensor panel, the touch sensor panel including a split conductive region adjacent to a co-planar non-split conductive region, the method comprising:

determining a signal ratio of subsections of the split conductive region;

allocating a pre-defined signal ratio to virtual subsections of the co-planar non-split conductive region adjacent to the split conductive region; and

determining a location of touch on the touch sensor panel in response to the signal ratios of the subsections of the split conductive region and the pre-defined signal ratio of the virtual subsections of the non-split conductive region.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the pre-defined signal ratio is 50:

50.