Touchscreen electrode arrangement with varied proportionate density

• US 8,564,552 B2
• Filed: 10/26/2009
• Issued: 10/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Atmel Corporation (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Inventors: Yilmaz, Esat
• Primary Examiner(s): Beck, Alexander S
• Assistant Examiner(s): ZHENG, CHARLES H
• Application Number:
  US12/605,847
• Publication Number:
  US 20110095996A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,457 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-174, 345/418, 345/206, 345/156, 178 1801- 1811, 324/686
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49105 Switch making

Abstract

A touchscreen includes an array of first electrode pairs and an array of second electrode pairs distributed across an active area of the touchscreen. The first and second electrode pairs may be configured in various snaking patterns to vary the proportion of first and second electrode pair density in a first direction across the touchscreen. The position of a touch can be determined by the proportion of densities of elements in the area of the touch, such as by measuring capacitive coupling of the drive elements.

Claims

1. An assembly, comprising:

a first plurality of electrode pairs distributed across an active area of a touchscreen, each electrode pair formed in a pattern, the patterns of the first plurality of electrode pairs decreasing in frequency of snaking from electrode pair to electrode pair in a first direction; and

a second plurality of electrode pairs distributed across the active area of the touchscreen, each electrode pair formed in a pattern, the patterns of the second plurality of electrode pairs increasing in frequency of snaking from electrode pair to electrode pair in the first direction;

wherein a position of a touch on the touchscreen can be determined in the first direction based on proportionate density of the first plurality of electrode pairs and the second plurality of electrode pairs in an area of the touch;

wherein each electrode pair of the first and second plurality of electrode pairs comprises;

a drive electrode; and

a receive electrode adjacent to and substantially parallel with the drive electrode;

wherein drive electrodes in the first plurality of electrode pairs are directly coupled to one another and to a first external electrical connection;

wherein drive electrodes in the second plurality of electrode pairs are directly coupled to one another and to a second external electrical connection; and

wherein at least one receive electrode in the first plurality of electrode pairs is directly coupled to at least one receive electrode in the second plurality of electrode pairs.

2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the electrode pairs are evenly distributed along the first direction.

3. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising:

an extended portion of the active area of the touchscreen extending the touchscreen in the first direction; and

a third plurality of electrode pairs distributed across the extended portion of the active area of the touchscreen, each electrode pair formed in a pattern, the patterns of the third plurality of electrode pairs increasing in frequency of snaking from electrode pair to electrode pair in the first direction across the extended portion of the touchscreen;

wherein the second plurality of electrode pairs are distributed across the extended portion of the active area of the touchscreen, each the second electrode pair formed in a pattern, the patterns of the second plurality of electrode pairs decreasing in frequency of snaking from electrode pair to electrode pair in the first direction across the extended portion of the touchscreen.

4. The assembly of claim 3, wherein a position of a touch on the touchscreen can be determined in the first direction based on proportionate density of the first plurality of electrode pairs, the second plurality of electrode pairs, and the third plurality of electrode pairs in an area of the touch.

5. The assembly of claim 3, wherein each electrode pair of the first, second, and third plurality of electrode pairs comprises:

a drive electrode; and

a receive electrode adjacent to and substantially parallel with the drive electrode.

6. The assembly of claim 5, wherein:

drive electrodes in the first plurality of electrode pairs are directly coupled to one another and to a first external electrical connection;

drive electrodes in the second plurality of electrode pairs are directly coupled to one another and to a second external electrical connection; and

drive electrodes in the third plurality of electrode pairs are directly coupled to one another and to a third external electrical connection.

7. The assembly of claim 1, wherein a first electrode pair comprises a fine line metal electrode having a line width of 10 micrometers or less.

8. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the electrode pairs are nonintersecting in the active area of the touchscreen.

9. The assembly of claim 1, wherein:

a first electrode pair comprises a first and second receive electrode adjacent to and substantially parallel with a drive electrode;

density of the first receive electrode adjacent to and substantially parallel with the drive electrode increases in a second direction not parallel the first direction; and

density of the second receive electrode adjacent to and substantially parallel with the drive electrode decreases in the second direction.

10. The assembly of claim 1, wherein:

a first electrode pair comprises a first and second receive electrode adjacent to and substantially parallel with a drive electrode;

the first receive electrode in the first electrode pair is arranged so that capacitive coupling between the first receive electrode and the drive electrode is greater in a first region along a second direction not parallel the first direction and smaller in a second region along the second direction; and

the second receive electrode in the first electrode pair is arranged so that capacitive coupling between the second receive electrode and the drive electrode is greater in the second region along the second direction and smaller in the first region along the second direction.

11. The assembly of claim 10 wherein the first region of a first electrode pair is staggered along the second direction from the first region of a neighboring electrode pair.

12. The assembly of claim 10, wherein:

first receive electrodes in the first plurality of electrode pairs and in the second plurality of electrode pairs are directly coupled to one another and to a first external connection; and

second receive electrodes in the first plurality of electrode pairs and in the second plurality of electrode pairs are directly coupled to one another and to a second external connection.

13. The assembly of claim 1, wherein a receive electrode of a first electrode pair is separated from a drive electrode of a neighboring electrode pair by a receive electrode of the neighboring electrode pair.

14. A method, comprising:

forming a first plurality of electrode pairs distributed across an active area of a touchscreen, each electrode pair formed in a pattern, the patterns of the first plurality of electrode pairs decreasing in frequency of snaking from electrode pair to electrode pair in a first direction; and

forming a second plurality of electrode pairs distributed across the active area of the touchscreen, each electrode pair formed in a pattern, the patterns of the second plurality of electrode pairs increasing in frequency of snaking from electrode pair to electrode pair in the first direction;

wherein a receive electrode of a first electrode pair is separated from a drive electrode of a neighboring electrode pair by a receive electrode of the neighboring electrode pair;

wherein a position of a touch on the touchscreen can be determined in the first direction based on proportionate density of the first plurality of electrode pairs and the second plurality of electrode pairs in an area of the touch;

wherein each electrode pair of the first and second plurality of electrode pairs comprises;

a drive electrode; and

a receive electrode adjacent to and substantially parallel with the drive electrode;

wherein drive electrodes in the first plurality of electrode pairs are directly coupled to one another and to a first external electrical connection;

wherein drive electrodes in the second plurality of electrode pairs are directly coupled to one another and to a second external electrical connection; and

wherein at least one receive electrode in the first plurality of electrode pairs is directly coupled to at least one receive electrode in the second plurality of electrode pairs.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the electrode pairs are evenly distributed along the first direction.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein:

a first electrode pair comprises fine line metal elements having a line width of 10 micrometers or less; and

drive electrodes in the first plurality of electrode pairs, drive electrodes in the second plurality of electrode pairs, and receive electrodes in the first plurality of electrode pairs are nonintersecting in the active area of the touchscreen.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein;

a first electrode pair comprises a first and second receive electrode adjacent to and substantially parallel with a drive electrode;

density of the first receive electrode adjacent to and substantially parallel with the drive electrode increases in a second direction not parallel the first direction; and

density of the second receive electrode adjacent to and substantially parallel with the drive electrode decreases in the second direction.

18. An electronic device, comprising:

a display;

a touchscreen assembly overlaying the display, the touchscreen assembly comprising;

a first plurality of electrode pairs distributed across an active area of a touchscreen, each electrode pair formed in a pattern, the patterns of the first plurality of electrode pairs decreasing in frequency of snaking from electrode pair to electrode pair in a first direction; and

a second plurality of electrode pairs distributed across the active area of the touchscreen, each electrode pair formed in a pattern, the patterns of the second plurality of electrode pairs increasing in frequency of snaking from electrode pair to electrode pair in the first direction;

wherein a position of a touch on the touchscreen can be determined in the first direction based on proportionate density of the first plurality of electrode pairs and second plurality of electrode pairs in an area of the touch;

wherein each electrode pair of the first and second plurality of electrode pairs comprises;

a drive electrode; and

a receive electrode adjacent to and substantially parallel with the drive electrode;

wherein drive electrodes in the first plurality of electrode pairs are directly coupled to one another and to a first external electrical connection;

wherein drive electrodes in the second plurality of electrode pairs are directly coupled to one another and to a second external electrical connection; and

wherein at least one receive electrode in the first plurality of electrode pairs is directly coupled to at least one receive electrode in the second plurality of electrode pairs.