MULTI-TOUCH SENSOR PATTERNS AND STACK-UPS

• US 20090273570A1
• Filed: 09/30/2008
• Published: 11/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Hotelling, Steve Porter, Choi, Shin John, DEGNER, Brett William, Staton, Kenneth Lawrence
• Granted Patent: US 8,629,841 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1692 the I/O peripheral being a secondary touch screen used as control interface, e.g. virtual buttons or sliders
• 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 2203/04111 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 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04164 Connections between sensors and controllers, e.g. routing lines between electrodes and connection pads
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 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 3/047 using sets of wires, e.g. crossed wires

Abstract

Capacitive multi-touch sensor panels in which both row and column traces may be formed on a single conducting surface are disclosed. These stack-ups may be made thinner and more flexible allowing them to be particularly well-suited for curved or other non-flat touch sensor panels, such as those that might be present on a mouse or other device designed to be grasped by a user'"'"'s hand. Curved sensor panel arrays that may be formed from flat substrates are also disclosed. These sensor panel configurations may include channels around the periphery of the array. These channels allow the flat array to lie flat when applied to a curved surface, such as the inside of the curved surface. The pattern of the touch sensor elements may be adjusted across the array to avoid the channels.

Claims

1. A touch sensor array comprising:

a first conducting layer comprising a row trace and a column trace;

a second conducting layer;

a first dielectric layer that separates the first conducting layer and a second conducting layer; and

one or more vias that route the column trace or the row trace to the second conducting layer prior to an intersection of the column trace and the row trace.

2. The touch sensor array of claim 1, wherein the second conducting layer further comprises a ground plane.

3. The touch sensor array of claim 1, wherein the row trace or the column trace has a comb pattern.

4. The touch sensor array of claim 2, wherein the ground plane is webbed.

5. The touch sensor array of claim 1, wherein the touch sensor array is configured for use on a curved surface.

6. The touch sensor array of claim 1, wherein one or more vias are located on an edge of the first dielectric layer and one or more vias are located in an internal portion of the first dielectric layer.

7. The touch sensor array of claim 1, further comprising a third conducting layer and a second dielectric layer separating the second conducting layer and the third conducting layer.

8. The touch sensor array of claim 7, wherein the second dielectric layer is shorter than the first dielectric layer in a length direction and forms a terraced configuration with the first dielectric layer.

9. The touch sensor array of claim 7, wherein the third conducting layer comprises an integrated circuit or other digital component.

10. The touch sensor array of claim 1, wherein the second conducting layer further comprises a webbed ground plane.

11. The touch sensor array of claim 1, further comprising a third conducting layer, a second dielectric layer separating the second conducting layer and the third conducting layer, a forth conducting layer, and a third dielectric layer separating the third conducting layer and the forth conducting layer,

wherein the third conducting layer comprises a ground plane and the forth conducting layer comprises routing.

12. The touch sensor array of claim 1, wherein the first conducting layer comprise conducting ink.

13. The touch sensor array of claim 1, wherein the array comprising one or more channels configured to allow the array to conform to a curved surface.

14. A touch sensor array comprising:

a plurality of row traces arranged in comb pattern configurations; and

a plurality of column traces comprising cross elements arranged between fingers on the comb pattern configurations.

15. The touch sensor array of claim 14, wherein the fingers on neighboring comb patterns extend toward one another.

16. The touch sensor array of claim 14, wherein the row traces and the column traces are arranged on a first layer except for at intersection points, where the column traces or the row traces are routed to a second layer.

17. The touch sensor array of claim 14, further comprising a ground plane.

18. The touch sensor array of claim 17, wherein the ground plane is webbed.

19. The touch sensor array of claim 14, wherein the touch sensor array is configured for use on a curved surface.

20. A touch sensor array configured for use on a curved surface comprising:

a substrate comprising one or more channels configured to allow the substrate to conform to a curved surface; and

row traces and column traces on the substrate.

21. The touch sensor array of claim 20, wherein the row traces and the column traces are on a first substrate layer except for at intersection points, where the column traces or the row traces are routed to a second layer.

22. A touch sensor array configured for use on a curved surface comprising:

a plurality of touch sensor strips configured to conform to a curved surface, wherein the touch sensor strips are electrically connected; and

row traces and column traces on the touch sensor strips.

23. The touch sensor array of claim 22, comprising two touch sensor strips.

24. The touch sensor array of claim 22, comprising three touch sensor strips.

25. The touch sensor array of claim 22, wherein the row traces and the column traces are on a first substrate layer except for at intersection points, where the column traces or the row traces are routed to a second layer.

26. A touch sensor array configured for use on a curved surface comprising:

a spiral shaped substrate; and

row traces and column traces on the substrate.

27. The touch sensor array of claim 26, wherein the row traces and the column traces are on a first substrate layer except for at intersection points, where the column traces or the row traces are routed to a second layer.

28. A multi-touch mouse comprising a touch sensor array, the touch sensor array comprising:

a first conducting layer comprising a row trace and a column trace;

a first dielectric layer that separates the first conducting layer and a second conducting layer; and

one or more vias that route the column trace or the row trace to the second conducting layer prior to an intersection of the column trace and the row trace.

29. A multi-touch mouse comprising a touch sensor array comprising:

a plurality of row traces arranged in comb pattern configurations; and

a plurality of column traces comprising cross elements arranged between fingers on the comb pattern configurations.

30. A touch sensor array comprising:

a first conducting layer comprising a plurality of row elements, a plurality of column elements, and column traces that connect the plurality of column elements; and

a second conducting layer comprising row traces that connect the plurality of row elements, wherein a portion of the row traces on the second conducting layer are located under a portion of the row elements on the first conducting layer.

31. The touch sensor array of claim 30, wherein the touch sensor array is configured for use on a curved surface.

32. The touch sensor array of claim 30, wherein the array comprising one or more channels configured to allow the array to conform to a curved surface.

33. The touch sensor array of claim 30, wherein the plurality of row elements comprise row elements of different shapes and the plurality of column elements comprise column elements of different shapes.

34. The touch sensor array of claim 30, wherein the second conducting layer further comprises a ground plane.

35. A multi-touch mouse comprising a touch sensor array, the touch sensor array comprising:

a first conducting layer comprising a plurality of row elements, a plurality of column elements, and column traces that connect the plurality of column elements; and

a second conducting layer comprising row traces that connect the plurality of row elements, wherein a portion of the row traces on the second conducting layer are located under a portion of the row elements on the first conducting layer.

36. The multi-touch mouse of claim 35, wherein the touch sensor array is configured for use on a curved surface.

37. The multi-touch mouse of claim 35, wherein the array comprising one or more channels configured to allow the array to conform to a curved surface of the multi-touch mouse.

38. The multi-touch mouse of claim 35, wherein the plurality of row elements comprise row elements of different shapes and the plurality of column elements comprise column elements of different shapes.

39. The multi-touch mouse of claim 35 wherein the second conducting layer further comprises a ground plane.