Layer Electrode For Touchscreen

• US 20160077632A1
• Filed: 05/06/2014
• Published: 03/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: PolyIC GmbH & Co. KG (Leonhard KURZ Stiftung & Company KG)
• Original Assignee: PolyIC GmbH & Co. KG (Leonhard KURZ Stiftung & Company KG)
• Inventors: Ullmann, Andreas, Walter, Manfred
• Application Number:
  US14/889,023
• Publication Number:
  US 20160077632A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• 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 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/962 Capacitive touch switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2017/9602 characterised by the type or shape of the sensing electrodes

Abstract

The invention relates to a layer electrode for a touchscreen, in particular one which makes the edge region of the transparent input field matrix useful for further input fields.

Claims

1. Layer electrode for a capacitive touchscreen, comprising:

a transparent input field matrix of a given first area and a non-transparent edge region of a given second area with electrically conductive regions having supply lines formed such that they can be coupled to a connecting contact and are useful as transmitter-equivalent and receiver-equivalent electrode surfaces, wherein in combination with galvanic connection, the transmitter-equivalent and receiver-equivalent electrode surfaces form at least one interaction zone which form a non-transparent input field of an input field matrix comprising the second area forming a broadened input field area relative to the input field matrix first area.

2. Layer electrode according to claim 1, wherein the conductive regions are supply lines and/or bridging lines in the non-transparent edge region.

3. Layer electrode according to claim 1, wherein the electrically conductive regions are contact surfaces and/or grounding lines in the non-transparent edge region.

4. Layer electrode according to claim 1, wherein the galvanic connection is a conductive contact between a supply line for an electrode surface within the transparent input field matrix and the next supply line (9a) of a wiring region.

5. Layer electrode according to claim 1, wherein the galvanic connection is a conductive contact between a grounding line and a connection to input field rows and/or columns of the first area input field matrix.

6. Layer electrode according to claim 1, wherein the electrically conductive regions of the non-transparent edge region are formed such that they are connected via vias to a connecting contact which is formed to connect the layer electrode to control and/or evaluation electronics of the touchscreen.

7. Layer electrode according to claim 1, in which transmitter- and/or receiver-equivalent electrode surfaces in the non-transparent edge region form bar electrodes.

8. Layer electrode according to claim 1, wherein the transmitter- and/or receiver-equivalent electrode surfaces in the non-transparent edge region either are galvanically connected to at least one transmitter or receiver electrode array of the input field matrix and/or can be controlled individually as a transmitter or receiver electrode surface singly.

9. Layer electrode according to claim 1 which is formed in one layer.

10. Layer electrode according to claim 1 which is formed in two layers on two planes.

11. Layer electrode according to claim 10, wherein the receiver-equivalent electrode surfaces of the two planes are connected to each other and/or the transmitter-equivalent electrode surfaces of the two planes are connected to each other by two vias and a bridging line.

12. Layer electrode according to claim 10, wherein bridging lines which connect the transmitter-equivalent electrode surfaces and/or the receiver-equivalent electrode surfaces are in each case galvanically isolated by an insulation layer.

13. Layer electrodes according to claim 1, wherein the connecting contact is a via, a contact via, and/or a controller.

14. Layer electrode according to claim 1, wherein the length of an input field lies in the range of from 5 to 12 mm.

15. Layer electrode according to claim 1, wherein the length of 55 the input field is greater than its width.

16. Layer electrode according to claim 1, wherein the non-transparent edge region has a width which lies in the range of from 3 to 7 mm.

17. Layer electrode according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the conductive transparent electrode and/or the transparent supply lines is formed by a material for a transparent conductive layer which comprises a transparent film, covered with non-transparent, conductive grid meshes, wherein this coverage is carried out in the form of thin, non-transparent wires, with the result that the film is transparent for the human eye.

18. A layer electrode according to claim 1 in a touchscreen in combination with a smartphone, a tablet, a computer or an electronic device.