MULTIPOINT TOUCHSCREEN

• US 20170010746A1
• Filed: 09/22/2016
• Published: 01/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: HOTELLING, Steve, STRICKON, Joshua A., HUPPI, Brian Q.
• Granted Patent: US 10,331,259 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-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 and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0414 using force sensing means to determine a position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04164 Connections between sensors and controllers, e.g. routing lines between electrodes and connection pads
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04166 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 3/044 by capacitive means
• 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

Abstract

A touch panel having a transparent capacitive sensing medium configured to detect multiple touches or near touches that occur at the same time and at distinct locations in the plane of the touch panel and to produce distinct signals representative of the location of the touches on the plane of the touch panel for each of the multiple touches is disclosed.

Claims

1. A device configured to detect pressure of multiple touches that occur at a same time and at distinct locations in a plane of the device and to produce signals indicative of the pressure of each of the multiple touches on the plane of the device, wherein the device comprises:

a first layer having a plurality of first conductive lines that are electrically isolated from one another; and

a second layer spatially separated from the first layer and having a plurality of second conductive lines that are electrically isolated from one another, the plurality of second conductive lines being positioned transverse to the plurality of first conductive lines, the intersection of transverse lines being positioned at different locations in the plane of the device, each of the plurality of second conductive lines being operatively coupled to capacitive monitoring circuitry;

wherein the capacitive monitoring circuitry is configured to detect charge coupling between the plurality of first conductive lines and the plurality of second conductive lines, wherein the charge coupling between the plurality of first conductive lines and the plurality of second conductive lines is indicative of the pressure applied by the multiple touches on the plane of the device.

2. The device as recited in claim 1 wherein the plurality of first conductive lines are substantially parallel to one another, and the plurality of second conductive lines are substantially parallel to one another.

3. The device as recited in claim 2 wherein the pluralities of first and second conductive lines on respective first and second layers are substantially perpendicular to one another.

4. The device as recited in claim 1 wherein the plurality of first conductive lines of the first layer are disposed on a first member, and wherein the plurality of second conductive lines of the second layer are disposed on a second member, the first member being disposed over the second member.

5. The device as recited in claim 4 further including a third member disposed over the first member, the first and second members being attached to one another via an adhesive layer, the third member being attached to the first member via another adhesive layer.

6. The device as recited in claim 1 wherein the pluralities of first and second conductive lines are formed from indium tin oxide (ITO).

7. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein the wherein the capacitive monitoring circuitry is configured to detect mutual capacitance charge coupling between the plurality of first conductive lines and the plurality of second conductive lines.

8. The device as recited in claim 7, further comprising a virtual ground charge amplifier coupled to the device.

9. The device as recited in claim 1, the pluralities of first and second conductive lines are formed on both sides of a single substrate.

10. The device as recited in claim 1, further comprising a host operative for comparing a current image of the pressure applied by one or more of the multiple touches with a previous image of the pressure applied by one or more of multiple touches to determine an action to be performed in the host.

11. A device comprising:

a display having a screen for displaying a graphical user interface; and

a pressure sensing panel configured to detect pressure of multiple touch events that occur at different locations on the device at a same time and to output this information to form a pixilated image;

wherein the pressure sensing panel includes a multipoint sensing arrangement configured to simultaneously detect the pressure of the multiple touch events by detecting capacitive coupling associated with those multiple touch events at distinct points across the panel; and

wherein the pressure sensing panel comprises;

a first conductive layer comprising a first plurality of spaced apart parallel lines;

a second conductive layer comprising a second plurality of spaced apart parallel lines, the second plurality of spaced apart parallel lines being substantially perpendicular to the first plurality of spaced apart parallel lines;

an electrically insulating layer interposed between the first and second conductive layers; and

one or more sensors operatively coupled to one of the first and second pluralities of spaced apart parallel lines, wherein the one or more sensors detect capacitive coupling between the first and second pluralities of spaced apart parallel lines, wherein the capacitive coupling is indicative of the pressure of the multiple touch events.

12. The device as recited in claim 11 further including dummy features disposed in the space between first and second spaced apart parallel lines on the respective first conductive layer and on the second conductive layer.

13. The device as recited in claim 11, further comprising a host device operative for comparing a current pixilated image of the pressure applied by one or more of the multiple touches with a previous pixilated image of pressure applied by one or more of the multiple touches to determine an action to be performed in the host device.

14. An input device comprising a transparent capacitive sensing medium configured to detect location and pressure of multiple touches that occur at a same time and at distinct locations in a plane of the input device and to produce distinct signals representative of the location and the pressure of each of the multiple touches on the plane of the input device, wherein the transparent capacitive sensing medium comprises:

a first layer having a plurality of transparent first conductive lines that are electrically isolated from one another; and

a second layer spatially separated from the first layer and having a plurality of transparent second conductive lines that are electrically isolated from one another, the plurality of transparent second conductive lines being positioned transverse to the plurality of transparent first conductive lines, the intersection of transverse lines being positioned at different locations in a plane of the input device, each of the plurality of transparent second conductive lines being operatively coupled to capacitive monitoring circuitry;

wherein the capacitive monitoring circuitry is configured to detect charge coupling between the plurality of transparent first conductive lines and the plurality of transparent second conductive lines, wherein the charge coupling between the plurality of transparent first conductive lines and the plurality of transparent second conductive lines is indicative of the location and pressure of the multiple touches.

15. The input device as recited in claim 14 wherein the plurality of transparent first conductive lines are substantially parallel to one another, and the plurality of transparent second conductive lines are substantially parallel to one another.

16. The input device as recited in claim 15 wherein the pluralities of transparent first and second conductive lines are substantially perpendicular to one another.

17. The input device as recited in claim 14 wherein the plurality of transparent first conductive lines of the first layer are disposed on a first member, and wherein the plurality of transparent second conductive lines of the second layer are disposed on a second member, the first member being disposed over the second member.

18. The input device as recited in claim 17 further including a third member disposed over the first member, the first and second members being attached to one another via an adhesive layer, the third member being attached to the first member via another adhesive layer.

19. The input device as recited in claim 14 wherein at least one of the pluralities of transparent first and second conductive lines are formed from indium tin oxide (ITO).

20. The input device as recited in claim 14, wherein the transparent capacitive sensing medium is a mutual capacitance sensing medium.

21. The input device as recited in claim 20, further comprising a virtual ground charge amplifier coupled to the input device.

22. The input device as recited in claim 14, the pluralities of transparent first and second conductive lines formed on both sides of a single substrate.

23. The input device as recited in claim 14, further comprising a host coupled to the input device and operative for comparing a current image of one or more of the multiple touches with a previous image of one or more of the multiple touches to determine an action to be performed in the host.

24. A display arrangement comprising:

a display having a screen for displaying a graphical user interface; and

a transparent input panel allowing the screen to be viewed therethrough and configured to detect location and pressure of multiple touch events that occur at different locations on the input panel at a same time and to output this information to a host device to form a pixilated image;

wherein the input panel includes a multipoint sensing arrangement configured to simultaneously detect and monitor the location and the pressure of the multiple touch events and capacitive coupling associated with those multiple touch events at distinct points across the input panel; and

wherein the input panel comprises;

a first member disposed over the screen of the display;

a first transparent conductive layer disposed over the first member, the first transparent conductive layer comprising a plurality of spaced apart parallel lines;

a second member disposed over the first transparent conductive layer;

a second transparent conductive layer disposed over the second member, the second transparent conductive layer comprising a plurality of spaced apart parallel lines, the plurality of spaced apart parallel lines of the second transparent conductive layer being substantially perpendicular to the plurality of spaced apart parallel lines of the first transparent conductive layer;

a third member disposed over the second transparent conductive layer; and

one or more sensors operatively coupled to one of the plurality of spaced apart parallel lines of the first transparent conductive layer or the plurality of spaced apart parallel lines of the second transparent conducive layer.

25. The display arrangement as recited in claim 24 further including dummy features disposed in the space between the plurality of spaced apart parallel lines of the first transparent conductive layer, and in the space between the plurality of spaced apart parallel lines of the second transparent conductive layer.

26. The display arrangement as recited in claim 24, wherein the host device is operative for comparing a current pixilated image of one or more of the multiple touches with a previous pixilated image of one or more of the multiple touches to determine an action to be performed in the host device.