Touch input device having interleaved scroll sensors

• US 7,791,596 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2005
• Issued: 09/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Interlink Electronics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Interlink Electronics Incorporated
• Inventors: Errico, Michael, Baker, Jeffrey R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Henry N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Leiby; Christopher E
• Application Number:
  US11/318,800
• Publication Number:
  US 20070146349A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,715 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/168, 345/170, 345/174, 345/184
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0339 Touch strips, e.g. orthogonal touch strips to control cursor movement or scrolling; single touch strip to adjust parameter or to implement a row of soft keys
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/047 using sets of wires, e.g. crossed wires

Abstract

A touch input device includes two or more interleaved scroll sensors. A common area is interposed between two of the scroll sensors. A sense line snakes through the common area. Scrolling pressure applied to a sense layer causes the sense layer to contact and electrically connect the sense line to the scroll sensors thereby permitting the scrolling pressure position to be determined by measuring a voltage on the sense line. The scroll sensors are potentiometric and may be linear strip scroll sensors or rotary ring scroll sensors. The interleaved scroll sensors with the common area allow smooth scrolling action from one major leg to another major leg.

Claims

1. A touch input device comprising:

a bottom substrate;

first and second resistors on the bottom substrate;

a first pair of drive lines electrically connected to respective ends of the first resistor for applying a first drive voltage across the length of the first resistor between the ends of the first resistor independent of any voltage applied to the second resistor;

a second pair of drive lines electrically connected to respective ends of the second resistor for applying a second drive voltage across the length of the second resistor between the ends of the second resistor independent of any voltage applied to the first resistor;

a plurality of electrically conductive first finger traces on the bottom substrate, the first finger traces electrically connected to and extending from the first resistor at discrete points along the length of the first resistor such that when the first drive voltage is applied across the length of the first resistor while the second resistor is in an open circuit each first finger trace carries a voltage corresponding to the first drive voltage and the position of the first finger trace along the length of the first resistor;

a plurality of electrically conductive second finger traces on the bottom substrate, the second finger traces electrically connected to and extending from the second resistor at discrete points along the length of the second resistor such that when the second drive voltage is applied across the length of the second resistor while the first resistor is in an open circuit each second finger trace carries a voltage corresponding to the second drive voltage and the position of the second finger trace all along the length of the second resistor;

a top substrate spaced above the bottom substrate, the top substrate having an electrically conductive sense layer; and

a sense line having an electrically contiguous set of electrically conductive sense finger traces on the bottom substrate, the sense finger traces being interdigitated with the first and second finger traces such that on the bottom substrate the sense finger traces are spaced apart and electrically disconnected from the first and second finger traces;

wherein some of the first traces, some of the second traces, and some of the sense traces extend into an interaction zone on the bottom substrate between the first and second resistors;

whereby pressure applied to either substrate adjacent the interaction zone towards the other substrate causes the conductive sense layer to contact one of the sense finger traces, one of the first finger traces, and one of the second finger traces in the interaction zone such that the contacted traces electrically connect via the sense layer;

wherein when the first drive voltage is applied across the length of the first resistor while the second resistor is in an open circuit and while the contacted traces are electrically connected, the sense line has a first sense voltage which is the voltage carried by the contacted first trace;

wherein when the second drive voltage is applied across the length of the second resistor while the first resistor is in an open circuit and while the contacted traces are electrically connected, the sense line has a second sense voltage which is the voltage carried by the contacted second trace;

wherein the position of the applied pressure is determinable as a function of the first and second sense voltages.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein:

some of the sense finger traces are located in a first zone on the bottom substrate away from the interaction zone near the first resistor, some of the first finger traces extend into the first zone and are interdigitated with the sense fingers located in the first zone and none of the second finger traces extend into the first zone.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein:

some of the sense finger traces are located in a second zone on the bottom substrate away from the interaction zone near the second resistor, some of the second finger traces extend into the second zone and are interdigitated with the sense fingers located in the second zone and none of the first finger traces extend into the second zone.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein:

the bottom substrate includes a cross-shaped section having a center region and four arms;

wherein the first and second resistors respectively extend at right-angles through a respective pair of the arms, wherein the center region is interposed between the first and second resistors and includes the interaction zone.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein:

some of the sense finger traces are located in the pair of the arms through which the first resistor extends, some of the first finger traces extend towards these arms and are interdigitated with the sense fingers located in these arms and none of the second finger traces are interdigitated with the sense fingers located in these arms;

some of the sense fingers are located in the other pair of the arms through which the second resistor extends, some of the second finger traces extend towards these other arms and are interdigitated with the sense fingers located in these other arms and none of the first finger traces are interdigitated with the sense finger traces located in these other arms.

6. The device of claim 4 wherein:

the position of the applied pressure determinable as a function of the first and second sense voltages is permitted to be mapped to X and Y coordinates relative to the cross-shaped section using look-up tables.

7. The device of claim 5 wherein:

pressure applied to either substrate in one arm causes the conductive sense layer to contact at least one of the sense finger traces in the one arm and at least one of the first or second finger traces in the one arm such that the at least one of the sense finger traces in the one arm and the at least one of the first or second finger traces in the one arm electrically connect via the sense layer thus causing the resistor which extends through the one arm to effect the voltage on the sense line while the other resistor does not effect the voltage on the sense line;

wherein the position of the applied pressure is permitted to be determined from the voltage on the sense line and from the effect of the resistor extending through the one arm to the voltage on the sense line.

8. The device of claim 1 wherein:

each resistor is linear such that the resistance per unit length across the length of the resistor is substantially constant.

9. The device of claim 1 wherein:

the bottom substrate includes dual arc-shaped sections having a center region which includes the interaction zone, wherein the first and second resistors respectively extend at arcs with the center region being interposed between the first and second resistors.

10. The device of claim 9 wherein:

the position of the applied pressure determinable as a function of the first and second sense voltages is permitted to be mapped to X and Y coordinates relative to the dual arc-shaped sections using look-up tables.

11. The device of claim 1 wherein:

the bottom substrate includes dual circular-shaped sections, wherein the first and second resistors are circular and are positioned in respective circular-shaped sections with a center region of the dual circular-shaped sections being interposed between the first and second resistors, wherein the center region includes the interaction zone.