CAPACITIVE SENSOR BEHIND BLACK MASK

• US 20100026656A1
• Filed: 07/31/2008
• Published: 02/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Leung, Omar S., Bernstein, Jeffrey Traer, Hotelling, Steve Porter, Amm, David T.
• Granted Patent: US 9,335,868 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/174
• 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: H03K 17/955 using a capacitive detector
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/962 Capacitive touch switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/960775 Emitter-receiver or "fringe" type detection, i.e. one or more field emitting electrodes and corresponding one or more receiving electrodes

Abstract

Devices having one or more sensors located outside a viewing area of a touch screen display are disclosed. The one or more sensors can be located behind an opaque mask area of the device; the opaque mask area extending between the sides of a housing of the device and viewing area of the touch screen display. In addition, the sensors located behind the mask can be separate from a touch sensor panel used to detect objects on or near the touch screen display, and can be used to enhance or provide additional functionality to the device. For example, a device having a sensor located outside the viewing area can be used to detect objects in proximity to a functional component incorporated in the device, such as an ear piece (i.e., speaker for outputting sound). The sensor can also output a signal indicating a level of detection which may be interpreted by a controller of the device as a level of proximity of an object to the functional component. In addition, the controller can initiate a variety of actions related to the functional component based on the output signal, such as adjusting the volume of the earpiece.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a housing;

a display positioned in a viewing area of the housing and operable to display a graphical user interface; and

a touch sensor panel positioned between the display and the viewing area, the touch sensor panel operable to detect multiple touch events that occur at about the same time and at distinct locations in the viewing area and produce signals representative of locations of the touch events in the viewing area; and

a capacitive sensor located between the viewing area and the sides of the housing, the capacitive sensor operable to detect a touch or hover event that occurs in proximity to a functional component and produce a signal representative of the touch or hover event.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a substantially transparent cover positioned over the viewing area of the housing, wherein an opaque mask is formed under the cover between the viewing area and the sides of the housing.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the capacitive sensor is positioned behind the mask.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the functional component is a mechanical button extending through a hole of the cover.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the functional component is an earpiece.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a processor functionally coupled to the capacitive sensor, the processor operable to receive the signal representative of the touch or hover event and initiate an action based on the signal representative of the touch or hover event.

7. An electronic device comprising:

a touch screen display configured to display a graphical user interface, the touch screen display having a sensor array operable to recognize touch events and produce signals representative of locations of the touch events on the display; and

an event-sensitive section located separate from and outside a viewing area of the display, the event-sensitive section having a capacitive sensor operable to recognize a touch or hover event that occurs in proximity to the touch event-sensitive section and produce a signal representative of the touch or hover event.

8. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the event-sensitive section further includes a functional component.

9. The electronic device of claim 8, further comprising control circuitry coupled to the capacitive sensor, the control circuitry adapted to receive the signal representative of the touch or hover event and operable to initiate one of a plurality of actions associated with the functional component based on the signal representative of the touch or hover event.

10. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the capacitive sensor is a mutual capacitance sensor.

11. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the capacitive sensor is a self capacitance sensor.

12. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the sensor array is incorporated into a touch sensor panel.

13. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the capacitive sensor comprises a plurality of drive nodes and a plurality of sense nodes.

14. The electronic device of claim 7, further comprising a computing system that incorporates the electronic device, the computing system comprising:

a sensor subsystem couplable to the sensor array and capacitive sensor;

a sensor processor coupled to the sensor subsystem; and

a host processor coupled to the sensor processor.

15. The electronic device of claim 14, further comprising a mobile telephone that incorporates the computing system.

16. The electronic device of claim 14, further comprising a digital audio player that incorporates the computing system.

17. A method for sensing touch and hover events on or about an electronic device having a touch screen, comprising:

generating one or more first signals by a touch sensor panel, the one or more signals by the touch sensor panel indicative of touch events occurring at distinct locations on a display area of the electronic device; and

generating one or more second signals by a capacitive sensor located outside the display area, the one or more second signals generated by the capacitive sensor indicative of a touch or hover event occurring in proximity to a functional component of the electronic device; and

processing the one or more signals to enhance the functionality of the touch screen.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the capacitive sensor comprises a sensor array.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising performing an action based on the one or more signals generated by the capacitive sensor.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein performing the action comprises waking up touch screen circuitry operable to drive the touch panel sensor.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein performing the action comprises powering up a display operable to display a graphical user interface on the touch screen.

22. The method of claim 17, further comprising driving a drive line of the capacitive sensor with a stimulus frequency and detecting the stimulus frequency with a sense line of the capacitive sensor.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the drive line is located adjacent to one side of the display area and the sense line is located adjacent to an opposite side of the display area.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the hover event comprises an object hovering over the display area.

25. A method for detecting touch and hover events on or about touch screen display, comprising:

scanning a touch sensor panel of touch sensors organized in rows and columns after applying a first set of stimuli to the rows, the touch sensors of the touch panel located substantially within a viewing area of the touch screen display;

receiving one or more first signals from the columns and, based on the one or more first signals, generating one or more values representative of one or more touch events occurring at distinct locations on or about the touch sensor panel;

applying a second stimulus or set of stimuli to a capacitive sensor located outside the viewing area of the touch screen display; and

receiving one or more second signals from the capacitive sensor and, based on the one or more second signals, generating one or more values representative of one or more hover events occurring in proximity to the touch screen display.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the capacitive sensor comprises a drive line located adjacent to one side of the touch screen display and a sense line located on an opposite side of the touch screen display.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the applying of the second stimulus or set of stimuli to the capacitive sensor causes an electric field to extended over at least part of the touch screen display and between the drive line and the sense line.

28. The method of claim 25, further comprising initiating an action based on the one or more values representative of the one or more hover events.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the action comprises waking touch screen scanning circuitry.

30. The method of claim 25, wherein the capacitive sensor comprises a plurality of drive nodes and a plurality of sense nodes.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising processing the one or more values representative of one or more hover events occurring in proximity to the touch screen display to generate positional information indicative of a multi-dimensional position of each of the one or more hover events.

32. The method of claim 25, comprising processing the one or more values representative of one or more hover events occurring in proximity to the touch screen display to generate proximity information indicative of a position of each of the one or more hover events relative to the touch screen display.

33. A mobile telephone comprising:

a touch screen display configured to display a graphical user interface, the touch screen display having a sensor array operable to recognize touch events and produce signals representative of locations of the touch events on the display; and

an event-sensitive section located separate from and outside a viewing area of the display, the event-sensitive section having a capacitive sensor operable to recognize a touch or hover event that occurs in proximity to the touch event-sensitive section and produce a signal representative of the touch or hover event.

34. A digital media player comprising:

a housing;

a display positioned in a viewing area of the housing and operable to display a graphical user interface; and

a touch sensor panel positioned between the display and the viewing area, the touch sensor panel operable to detect multiple touch events that occur at about the same time and at distinct locations in the viewing area and produce signals representative of locations of the touch events in the viewing area; and

a capacitive sensor located between the viewing area and the sides of the housing, the capacitive sensor operable to detect a touch or hover event that occurs in proximity to a functional component and produce a signal representative of the touch or hover event.