TOUCH REGIONS IN DIAMOND CONFIGURATION

• US 20160154505A1
• Filed: 02/05/2016
• Published: 06/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Chang, Shih-Chang, Yousefpor, Marduke
• Application Number:
  US15/017,463
• Publication Number:
  US 20160154505A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04108 Touchless 2D- digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface without distance measurement in the Z direction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04113 Peripheral electrode pattern in resistive digitisers, i.e. electrodes at the periphery of the resistive sheet are shaped in patterns enhancing linearity of induced field
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• 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 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes

Abstract

Touch regions in a diamond configuration in a touch sensitive device are disclosed. Touch regions can include drive regions of display pixels to receive stimulation signals and sense regions of display pixels to send touch signals based on a touch or near touch. The drive regions and sense regions can be disposed diagonally adjacent to each other to form a diamond configuration. In an example diamond configuration, diagonal drive regions can be separate and unconnected from each other, while diagonal sense regions can be electrically connected to each other via their sense lines. The diagonal sense region connections can be in a forward diagonal direction, a backward diagonal direction, or a combination thereof. In an alternate example diamond configuration, diagonal drive regions can be electrically connected to each other via their drive lines, while diagonal sense regions can be electrically connected to each other via their sense lines. The diagonal drive and sense region connections can be in a forward diagonal direction, a backward diagonal direction, or combinations thereof. An exemplary touch sensitive device having a diamond configuration can be a touch screen.

Claims

1. A touch sensor panel comprising:

a plurality of linear drive region configurations configured to receive one or more stimulation signals; and

a plurality of linear sense region configurations configured to transmit one or more touch signals based on the one or more stimulation signals, the one or more touch signals corresponding to a touch event at the touch sensor panel,

wherein the plurality of linear drive region configurations are non-orthogonally disposed with respect to the plurality of linear sense region configurations.

2. The touch sensor panel of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of linear drive region configurations comprises a plurality of drive regions, the plurality of drive regions electrically coupled together and linearly disposed in the linear drive region configuration.

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

a plurality of first common voltage lines configured to electrically couple the plurality of drive regions.

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

a first plurality of display pixels coupled together to form one or more of the plurality of drive regions, wherein the first plurality of display pixels are coupled to a first transparent conductive plate for a touch mode.

5. The touch sensor panel of claim 1, wherein the plurality of linear drive region configurations are oriented in a first direction, the touch sensor panel further comprising:

a plurality of first common voltage lines included in each drive region, wherein the first common voltage lines are oriented in a second direction, different from the first direction; and

one or more breaks in at least some of the plurality of first common voltage lines.

6. The touch sensor panel of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of linear sense region configurations comprises a plurality of sense regions, the plurality of sense regions electrically coupled together and linearly disposed in the linear sense region configuration.

7. The touch sensor panel of claim 6, wherein the plurality of sense regions in at least one of the plurality of linear sense region configurations are electrically coupled in a forward diagonal direction.

8. The touch sensor panel of claim 6, wherein the plurality of sense regions in at least one of the plurality of linear sense region configurations are electrically coupled in a backward diagonal direction.

9. The touch sensor panel of claim 6, further comprising:

a plurality of second common voltage lines configured to electrically couple the plurality of sense regions.

10. The touch sensor panel of claim 9, further comprising:

a plurality of drive regions included in the plurality of linear drive region configurations; and

a plurality of first common voltage lines configured to electrically couple the plurality of drive regions,

wherein a parasitic capacitive coupling between the plurality of first and the plurality of second common voltage lines in the plurality of sense regions is less than a parasitic capacitive coupling between the plurality of first and the plurality of second common voltage lines in the plurality of drive regions.

11. The touch sensor panel of claim 6, further comprising:

a second plurality of display pixels coupled together to form one or more of the plurality of sense regions, wherein the second plurality of display pixels are coupled to a second transparent conductive plate for a touch mode.

12. The touch sensor panel of claim 6, wherein each of the plurality of linear drive region configurations comprises a plurality of drive regions, the touch sensor panel further comprising:

a plurality of first areas configured to separate adjacent drive regions and adjacent sense regions, wherein the plurality of sense regions are electrically coupled in the plurality of first areas; and

a plurality of second areas, separate and distinct from the plurality of first areas, wherein the plurality of drive regions are electrically coupled in the plurality of second areas.

13. The touch sensor panel of claim 12, wherein the plurality of first areas includes a plurality of second common voltage lines, each second common voltage line forming a zigzag.

14. The touch sensor panel of claim 6, further comprising:

a plurality of second common voltage lines included in each sense region;

a plurality of third areas configured to separate adjacent sense regions included in the plurality of linear sense region configurations; and

a plurality of third common voltage lines, each third common voltage line configured to electrically couple the plurality of second common voltage lines in each sense region, wherein each third common voltage line is a single line disposed in one of the plurality of third areas.

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

a plurality of sense regions included in the plurality of linear sense region configurations;

a plurality of drive regions included in the plurality of linear drive region configurations; and

a plurality of first common voltage lines, each first common voltage line configured to electrically couple the plurality of drive regions, wherein a number of first common voltage lines in each sense region is less than a number of first common voltage lines in each drive region.

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

a plurality of sense regions included in the plurality of linear sense region configurations;

a plurality of drive regions included in the plurality of linear drive region configurations; and

a plurality of second common voltage lines, each second common voltage line configured to electrically couple the plurality of sense regions, wherein a number of second common voltage lines in each sense region is less than a number of second common voltage lines in each drive region.

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

a plurality of sense regions included in the plurality of linear sense regions configurations;

a plurality of drive regions included in the plurality of linear drive regions configurations,

wherein the plurality of sense regions and plurality of drive regions form a matrix of non-orthogonal rows and columns, and

further wherein drive regions located in adjacent rows or columns are staggered and sense regions located in adjacent rows or columns are staggered.

18. The touch sensor panel of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of linear sense region configurations includes a single sense region.

19. The touch sensor panel of claim 1, wherein a number of sense regions included in the touch sensor panel is less than a number of drive regions.

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

a plurality of drive regions included in the plurality of linear drive region configurations;

a plurality of first common voltage lines configured to electrically couple drive regions;

a plurality of sense regions included in the plurality of linear sense region configurations; and

a plurality of second common voltage lines configured to electrically couple sense regions, wherein the plurality of first common voltage lines are non-orthogonally disposed with respect to the plurality of second common voltage lines.

21. The touch sensor panel of claim 1, wherein the plurality of linear drive region configurations intersect with the plurality of linear sense region configurations on the touch sensor panel.

22. A method for operating a touch sensor panel, the method comprising:

driving a plurality of linear drive region configurations with one or more stimulation signals; and

sensing one or more touch signals, based on the one or more stimulation signals, on a plurality of linear sense region configurations, the one or more touch signals corresponding to a touch event at the touch sensor panel,

wherein the plurality of linear drive region configurations are non-orthogonally disposed with respect to the plurality of linear sense region configurations.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the plurality of linear drive region configurations intersect with the plurality of linear sense region configurations on the touch sensor panel.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein each of the plurality of linear drive region configurations comprises a plurality of drive regions, the plurality of drive regions electrically coupled together and linearly disposed in the linear drive region configuration.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein each of the plurality of linear sense region configurations comprises a plurality of sense regions, the plurality of sense regions electrically coupled together and linearly disposed in the linear sense region configuration.