Touch sensitive screen

• US 7,932,898 B2
• Filed: 09/18/2006
• Issued: 04/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Neodrón Limited (Atlantic IP Services Limited)
• Original Assignee: Atmel Corporation (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Inventors: Philipp, Harald, Brunet, Samuel
• Primary Examiner(s): Liang, Regina
• Application Number:
  US11/532,560
• Publication Number:
  US 20070062739A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,681 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-179, 178/18.01, 178/18.03, 178/18.05, 178/18.06, 324/658, 324/661
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes

Abstract

A capacitive sensor for determining the presence of an object, such as a user'"'"'s finger or a stylus, is provided. The sensor comprises a substrate, for example made of transparent plastics material, such as PET, on which electrodes are deposited. A resistive drive electrode for example formed of transparent ITO, is arranged on one side of the substrate and a resistive sense electrode, which again may be of transparent ITO, is arranged on the other side of the substrate. Thus an overall transparent sensor may be provided. A shorting connection is also provided which is configured to connect between two locations on one of the electrodes. The electrodes are connected to respective drive and sense channels. By providing the shorting connection between two locations on one or other (or both) of the electrodes, a lower resistance connection is provided between other locations on the electrode and the corresponding drive or sense channel.

Claims

1. A capacitive sensor comprising:

a substrate having a first surface and a second surface, the second surface opposite the first surface;

a first electrode on the first surface of the substrate, the first electrode including a first continuous portion of electrode material substantially extending across a sense area of the capacitive sensor;

a second electrode on the second surface of the substrate, the second electrode including a second continuous portion of electrode material substantially extending across the sense area of the capacitive sensor; and

a shorting connection configured to connect between at least two locations on the first electrode,

wherein one of the first and second electrodes includes an array of openings, and

wherein the other of the first and second electrodes includes an array of filled regions, each of a plurality of the filled regions configured to align with an opening of the array of openings.

2. The sensor of claim 1 comprising a further shorting connection configured to connect between at least two locations on the second electrode.

3. The sensor of claim 1, wherein each opening of the array of openings includes a third portion of electrode material within the opening, the third portion of electrode material electrically isolated from the first and second electrodes.

4. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the electrodes are transparent.

5. The sensor of claim 4, wherein the substrate is transparent.

6. The sensor of claim 1 comprising at least one additional electrode on the first surface of the substrate.

7. The sensor of claim 6 comprising a ground electrode disposed between the first electrode and the at least one further electrode.

8. The sensor of claim 1 comprising at least one additional electrode on the second surface of the substrate.

9. The sensor of claim 8 comprising a ground electrode disposed between the second electrode and the at least one further electrode.

10. The sensor of claim 1 comprising:

at least one additional electrode on the first surface of the substrate; and

at least one additional electrode on the second surface of the substrate.

11. The sensor of claim 10 wherein the electrodes are arranged in a matrix array.

12. The sensor of claim 1 comprising a drive channel operable to apply electrical drive signals to one of the first or second electrodes and a sense channel operable to detect electrical sense signals induced in the other of the first or second electrodes in response to the drive signal.

13. The sensor of claim 12, wherein the drive channel comprises a switch element operable to selectively connect and disconnect its associated electrode to a voltage source.

14. The sensor of claim 12, wherein the sense channel comprises a charge transfer circuit.

15. The sensor of claim 13, wherein the sense channel is associated with the electrode on the surface of the substrate that faces an object to be sensed during normal use.

16. A control panel comprising the sensor of claim 1 and a cover panel overlying the sensor.

17. The control panel of claim 16, wherein the cover panel and the sensor are attached to one another by a refractive index matching adhesive.

18. The control panel of claim 16, further comprising a display screen underlying the sensor.

19. The control panel of claim 18, wherein the display screen and the sensor are attached to one another by a refractive index matching adhesive.

20. An apparatus comprising the control panel of claim 16.