Touch-sensor with shared capacitive sensors

• US 8,040,321 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2006
• Issued: 10/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Monterey Research, LLC (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Inventors: Peng, Tao, Qin, Zheng
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar, Srilakshmi K
• Application Number:
  US11/484,085
• Publication Number:
  US 20080007534A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,926 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-184
• US Class Current: 345/169
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04111 Cross over in capacitive digitiser, i.e. details of structures for connecting electrodes of the sensing pattern where the connections cross each other, e.g. bridge structures comprising an insulating layer, or vias through substrate
• 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 method and apparatus to implement a touch-sensor device using shared capacitive sensors. The apparatus includes a first plurality of sensor elements coupled together, a second plurality of sensor elements coupled together independently of the first plurality of sensor elements, and a third plurality of sensor elements coupled together independently of the first and second pluralities of sensor elements. The sensor elements of the first, second, and third pluralities of sensor elements are interspersed and disposed in a repetitive sequence along a movement path of a conductive object.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a first plurality of sensor elements coupled together;

a second plurality of sensor elements coupled together independently of the first plurality of sensor elements;

a third plurality of sensor elements coupled together independently of the first and second pluralities of sensor elements, wherein the sensor elements of the first, second, and third pluralities of sensor elements are interspersed and disposed in a repetitive sequence along a movement path of a conductive object;

a first capacitive sensor coupled to the first plurality of sensor elements;

a second capacitive sensor coupled to the second plurality of sensor elements;

a third capacitive sensor coupled to the third plurality of sensor elements; and

a sequence detector coupled to the first, second, and third capacitive sensors to detect a conductive sequence of a movement of the conductive object in proximity to at least some of the first, second, and third pluralities of sensor elements.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the movement path comprises a straight path or a curved path.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the repetitive sequence in a first direction along the movement path is unique compared to a reverse sequence in a reverse direction along the movement path.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

a first sensor element of the second plurality of sensor elements is disposed between a first sensor element of the first plurality of sensor elements and a first sensor element of the third plurality of sensor elements, forming a first iteration of sensor elements;

a second sensor element of the second plurality of sensor elements is disposed between a second sensor element of the first plurality of sensor elements and a second sensor element of the third plurality of sensor elements, forming a second iteration of sensor elements; and

the first iteration of sensor elements is disposed in sequence along the movement path with the second iteration of sensor elements.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a sensor element of a fourth plurality of sensor elements which are independent of the first, second, and third pluralities of sensor elements.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus comprises a directional slider.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a fourth plurality of sensor elements coupled together;

a fifth plurality of sensor elements coupled together; and

a sixth plurality of sensor elements coupled together, wherein the sensor elements of the fourth, fifth, and sixth pluralities of sensor elements are interspersed and disposed in a second repetitive sequence along a second movement path of the conductive object.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the sensor elements of the fourth, fifth, and sixth pluralities of sensor elements are disposed substantially orthogonal to the sensor elements of the first, second, and third pluralities of sensor elements.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising:

a fourth capacitive sensor coupled to the fourth plurality of sensor elements;

a fifth capacitive sensor coupled to the fifth plurality of sensor elements; and

a sixth capacitive sensor coupled to the sixth plurality of sensor elements.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the apparatus comprises a multi-dimensional, directional touchpad.

11. An apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of capacitive sensors;

a plurality of sensor elements coupled to the plurality of capacitive sensors, wherein at least two non-adjacent sensor elements of the plurality of sensor elements are coupled to a shared capacitive sensors of the plurality of capacitive sensors, and at least one other sensor element of the plurality of sensor elements is disposed between the two non-adjacent sensor elements and coupled to another capacitive sensors of the plurality of capacitive sensors; and

a sequence detector coupled to the plurality of capacitive sensors to detect a sequence for a movement of a conductive object in proximity to at least some of the plurality of sensor elements.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the plurality of sensor elements are disposed according to a repetitive sequence in a first direction along the movement path.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the repetitive sequence in the first direction is unique compared to a reverse sequence in a reverse direction along the movement path.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a plurality of switches coupled between the plurality of sensor elements and the plurality of capacitive sensors.

15. A method, comprising:

detecting a conductive object at a plurality of sensor elements, wherein the plurality of sensor elements are disposed in a layout according to a repetitive, directional sequence; and

determining whether a movement of the conductive device relative to the plurality of sensor elements is in a first direction according to the repetitive, directional sequence or in a second direction according to a unique reverse sequence of the repetitive, directional sequence,

wherein the first direction and the second direction are determined by a sequence detector.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising differentiating between the repetitive, directional sequence and the unique, reverse sequence.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising defining the repetitive, directional sequence and the unique reverse sequence according to a plurality of capacitive sensors to which each sensor element of the plurality of sensor elements is coupled.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising switching a plurality of switches to couple the plurality of sensor elements to the plurality of capacitive sensors according to the repetitive, directional sequence.