Touch Screen

• US 20070257893A1
• Filed: 04/20/2007
• Published: 11/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Atmel Corporation (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Harald Philipp
• Inventors: Philipp, Harald, Trend, Matthew, Britton, Keith
• Application Number:
  US11/737,934
• Publication Number:
  US 20070257893A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04164 Connections between sensors and controllers, e.g. routing lines between electrodes and connection pads
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact

Abstract

A touch-sensitive sensor comprises a control circuit board and a sensor substrate which are fixed to a cover panel. Electrical connection terminals on the sensor substrate are adjacent an edge of the circuit board. To establish electrical connections between the sensor substrate and control circuitry on the circuit board, sprung electrical connectors are provided. These are mounted on the side of the circuit board opposite the side which is fixed to the cover panel. This allows the circuit board to be fixed flat against the control panel. The sprung electrical connectors are configured to extend over the edge of the control circuit board and are bent towards the control panel so that they resiliently connect with the connection terminals of the sensor substrate. This allows electrical connections to be established automatically as the sensor substrate is put in place during assembly. The sensor may be based on either capacitance or resistance measurements.

Claims

1. A touch-sensitive sensor comprising:

a control circuit board having first and second sides;

a sensor substrate having a connection terminal; and

a resilient electrical connector for establishing an electrical connection between the control circuit board and the connection terminal, wherein the resilient electrical connector is mounted on the first side of the control circuit board and is configured to extend over an edge of the control circuit board and in a direction towards the second side of the circuit board in order to connect with the connection terminal of the sensor substrate.

2. A touch-sensitive sensor according to claim 1, wherein the resilient electrical connector is a metal leaf spring.

3. A touch-sensitive sensor according to claim 2, wherein a portion of the metal leaf spring which connects with the connection terminal of the sensor substrate is bifurcated.

4. A touch-sensitive sensor according to claim 1, wherein the resilient electrical connector is mounted to the circuit board by a soldered joint.

5. A touch-sensitive sensor according to claim 1, wherein the resilient electrical connector includes a projection configured to locate within a corresponding recess in the control circuit board to provide a mechanical coupling.

6. A touch-sensitive sensor according to claim 1, wherein the connection terminal of the sensor substrate comprises a carbon pad.

7. A touch-sensitive sensor according to claim 1, wherein the edge is an outer edge of the control circuit board.

8. A touch-sensitive sensor according to claim 1, wherein the edge is an inner edge of an opening in the control circuit board.

9. A touch-sensitive sensor according to claim 1, further comprising a cover panel to which the second side of the control circuit board and the sensor substrate are fixed.

10. A touch-sensitive sensor according to claim 9, wherein the sensor substrate is fixed to the control panel by an adhesive layer.

11. A touch-sensitive sensor according to claim 9, wherein the control circuit board is fixed to the control panel by an adhesive layer.

12. A touch-sensitive sensor according to claim 1, wherein the sensor substrate is a capacitance measurement based sensor substrate.

13. A touch-sensitive sensor according to claim 1, wherein the sensor substrate is a resistance measurement based sensor substrate.

14. A touch-sensitive sensor according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the sensor substrate is transparent.

15. A touch-sensitive sensor according to claim 1, further comprising at least one further connection terminal on the sensor substrate and at least one further resilient electrical connector mounted on the first side of the control circuit board and configured to extend over the edge of the control circuit board and in a direction towards the second side of the circuit board in order to connect with corresponding ones of the at least one further connection terminal of the sensor substrate.

16. An apparatus including a touch-sensitive sensor according to claim 1.

17. A touch-sensitive sensor comprising:

a control circuit board;

a sensor substrate having a connection terminal; and

a resilient electrical connector for establishing an electrical connection between the circuit board and the sensor substrate, wherein the resilient electrical connector includes a projection configured to locate within a corresponding recess in the control circuit board.

18. A touch-sensitive sensor according to claim 17, further comprising at least one further connection terminal on the sensor substrate, and at least one further resilient electrical connector for establishing an electrical connection between the circuit board and the sensor substrate, wherein the at least one further resilient electrical connector includes a projection configured to locate within a corresponding recess in the control circuit board.

19. An apparatus including a touch-sensitive sensor according to claim 17.