High aspect ratio capacitive sensor panel

• US 10,534,481 B2
• Filed: 08/04/2016
• Issued: 01/14/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Badaye, Massoud, Mondal, Sudip, Vaze, Sagar Rajiv, Lin, Albert, Zhao, Qian, Tung, Chun-Hao, Kang, Sunggu, Zhong, John Z.
• Primary Examiner(s): Simpson, Lixi C
• Application Number:
  US15/228,942
• Publication Number:
  US 20170090622A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,258 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04111 Cross over in capacitive digitiser, i.e. details of structures for connecting electrodes of the sensing pattern where the connections cross each other, e.g. bridge structures comprising an insulating layer, or vias through substrate
• 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 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
• 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: G06F 3/0448 Details of the electrode shape, e.g. for enhancing the detection of touches, for generating specific electric field shapes, for enhancing display quality

Abstract

High aspect ratio touch sensor panels are disclosed in which multiple row electrode blocks can be formed in a single row within an active area of the touch sensor panel, each row electrode block including a plurality of vertically adjacent row electrodes, or in some instances only one row electrode. In addition, each column electrode can be separated into multiple column electrode segments, each column electrode segment being vertically oriented and formed in a different column. The column electrode segments associated with any one column electrode can be spread out so that each of these column electrodes segments can be co-located and associated with a different row electrode block.

Claims

1. A touch sensor panel comprising:

a plurality of first electrode blocks oriented along a first dimension of the touch sensor panel, each first electrode block including one or more first electrodes; and

a plurality of second electrodes formed from a plurality of second electrode segments, wherein one of the plurality of second electrodes includes a first of the plurality of second electrode segments and a second of the plurality of second electrode segments separated in the first dimension by a third of the plurality of second electrode segments forming another of the plurality of second electrodes;

wherein the first of the plurality of second electrode segments of the one of the second electrodes is associated with a first of the plurality of first electrode blocks and configured to form a first touch node, and wherein the second of the plurality of second electrode segments of the one of the second electrodes is associated with a second of the plurality of first electrode blocks and configured to form a second touch node.

2. The touch sensor panel of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of first routing traces coupled to the plurality of second electrode segments, wherein those second electrode segments that are part of the same second electrode are coupled to the same first routing trace; and

a plurality of second routing traces coupled to the first electrodes, wherein each first electrode is coupled to a different second routing trace.

3. The touch sensor panel of claim 2, wherein the plurality of first routing traces and the plurality of second routing traces are formed outside an active area of the touch sensor panel.

4. The touch sensor panel of claim 3, wherein the plurality of first routing traces is symmetrically distributed on opposite sides of the active area.

5. The touch sensor panel of claim 2, further comprising a plurality of vias for coupling the plurality of second electrode segments to the plurality of first routing traces.

6. The touch sensor panel of claim 1, wherein the first electrodes and the second electrodes are formed on a same layer, and wherein the second electrode segments are formed as separate patches.

7. The touch sensor panel of claim 1, wherein each second electrode segment comprises one or more second electrode segment patches.

8. The touch sensor panel of claim 7, wherein the one or more second electrode segment patches in a same second electrode segment are coupled together outside an active area of the touch sensor panel.

9. The touch sensor panel of claim 1, wherein each first electrode comprises one or more first electrode patches.

10. The touch sensor panel of claim 9, wherein the one or more first electrode patches in a same first electrode are coupled together outside an active area of the touch sensor panel.

11. The touch sensor panel of claim 10, further comprising a plurality of vias for coupling the one or more first electrode patches in the same first electrode to a routing trace.

12. A touch sensor panel comprising:

one or more comb-shaped first electrodes formed in an active area on a first layer, the one or more first electrodes having a plurality of teeth;

a plurality of second electrode segment patches formed in the active area on the first layer, each of the plurality of second electrode segment patches formed between two teeth of one of the first electrodes;

a plurality of first routing traces formed outside the active area, each first routing trace coupled to a particular first electrode; and

a plurality of second routing traces formed outside the active area and coupled to the plurality of second electrode segment patches, wherein the plurality of second routing traces includes a linear portion extending from a respective one of the plurality of second electrode segments formed between two respective teeth of the plurality of teeth, the linear portion parallel to the two respective teeth.

13. The touch sensor panel of claim 12, wherein those second electrode segment patches that form part of a particular second electrode are coupled together outside the active area.

14. The touch sensor panel of claim 12, the one or more first electrodes having a shaft from which the teeth extend, wherein the teeth extend in one direction from the shaft of a corresponding first electrode.

15. The touch sensor panel of claim 12, wherein the plurality of first routing traces and the plurality of second routing traces are formed entirely outside the active area.

16. The touch sensor panel of claim 12, wherein the one or more comb-shaped first electrodes are configured as a combination of two first electrodes with teeth on both sides of the first electrodes.

17. The touch sensor panel of claim 12, wherein the first electrodes and the second electrode segment patches are formed as a plurality of bars.

18. The touch sensor panel of claim 12, the one or more comb-shaped first electrodes having one or more shafts from which the teeth extend, and wherein the one or more shafts of the first electrodes are formed outside the active area.

19. The touch sensor panel of claim 12, further comprising a plurality of vias for coupling the plurality of second electrode segment patches to the plurality of second routing traces.

20. The touch sensor panel of claim 12, wherein those second electrode segment patches that form part of a particular second electrode segment are coupled together outside the active area.

21. A touch sensor panel comprising:

one or more rows of a plurality of first electrodes oriented along a first dimension of the touch sensor panel;

a plurality of second electrodes formed from a plurality of second electrode segments, wherein one of the plurality of second electrodes includes a first of the plurality of second electrode segments and a second of the plurality of second electrode segments separated in the first dimension by a third of the plurality of second electrode segments forming another of the plurality of second electrodes;

wherein the first of the plurality of second electrode segments of the one of the second electrodes is associated with a first of the plurality of first electrodes and configured to form a first touch node, and wherein the second of the plurality of second electrode segments of the one of the second electrodes is associated with a second of the plurality of first electrodes and configured to form a second touch node.

22. The touch sensor panel of claim 21, wherein each second electrode segment comprises one or more second electrode segment patches.

23. The touch sensor panel of claim 21, wherein each first electrode comprises one or more first electrode patches.

24. The touch sensor panel of claim 21, further comprising:

a plurality of first routing traces coupled to the plurality of second electrode segments, wherein those second electrode segments that are part of the same second electrode are coupled to the same first routing trace; and

a plurality of second routing traces coupled to the first electrodes, wherein each first electrode is coupled to a different second routing trace.

25. The touch sensor panel of claim 24, wherein the plurality of first routing traces is symmetrically distributed on opposite sides of an active area formed by the first electrodes and second electrodes.