Grounded button for capacitive sensor

• US 8,599,144 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2006
• Issued: 12/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2006
• 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): Boddie, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): SCHNIREL, ANDREW B
• Application Number:
  US11/497,024
• Publication Number:
  US 20080024456A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,682 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 341/44, 341/33, 737/80, 324/686, 200/600
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0448 Details of the electrode shape, e.g. for enhancing the detection of touches, for generating specific electric field shapes, for enhancing display quality

Abstract

A touch-sensing device has a top and a bottom surface. A grounded connector is coupled to the bottom surface of the touch-sensing device and extends through the touch-sensing device to the top surface of the touch-sensing device. The touch-sensing device has a grounded layer. A first dielectric layer is on the grounded layer. A conductive layer of the touch-sensing device has an opening. The conductive layer is on the first dielectric layer. The second dielectric layer is on the conductive layer. The grounded connector is coupled to the grounded layer and extends through the opening of the conductive layer to the top surface of the second dielectric layer.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a capacitance sensing processing device; and

a touch-sensing device coupled to the capacitance sensing processing device, the touch-sensing device having a top surface, wherein the capacitance sensing processing device resides on a different common carrier substrate than the touch sensing device, the touch-sensing device comprising;

a bottom grounded layer;

a single capacitive sensor comprising a single conductive electrode with one or more openings contained therein;

a top dielectric layer; and

a grounded connector, coupled to the bottom grounded layer, and extending through one of the one or more openings in the single conductive electrode to the top surface of the top dielectric layer, and wherein a touch object contacting the top surface of the touch-sensing device will also contact the grounded connector.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the touch-sensing device further comprises:

a middle dielectric layer on the bottom grounded layer;

a conductive layer on the middle dielectric layer; and

the top dielectric layer on the conductive layer.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the conductive layer includes a plurality of conductive traces of the touch-sensing device.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the opening in the single conductive plane is large enough to electrically isolate the grounded connector from the conductive layer.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the top surface of the conductive trace forms a disk, a ring, or a cross.

6. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the touch-sensing device comprises a touch-sensor button, a touch-sensor circular slider, or a touch-sensor slider.

7. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

a circuit board having a first side and a second side, the touch-sensing device coupled to the first side; and

a processing device coupled the second side.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the capacitance sensing processing device comprises:

a relaxation oscillator; and

a digital counter coupled to the relaxation oscillator.

8. A method for manufacturing an electronic system, comprising:

providing a capacitance sensing processing device;

coupling a touch-sensing device to the capacitance sensing processing device; and

extending a grounded connector through a sensing area of the touch-sensing device to a top surface of the touch-sensing device, wherein the grounded connector is extended from a bottom grounded layer, through an opening in a single capacitive sensor comprising a single conductive electrode to the top surface of a top dielectric layer, the single conductive electrode having one or more openings contained therein, and wherein a touch object contacting the top surface of the touch-sensing device will also contact the grounded connector.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein providing a touch-sensing structure further comprises:

providing the bottom grounded layer;

forming a middle dielectric layer on the bottom grounded layer;

forming a conductive layer of the touch-sensing device on the middle dielectric layer; and

forming the top dielectric layer on the conductive layer,

wherein the grounded connector extends through the middle dielectric layer, the conductive layer and the top dielectric layer.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the conductive layer comprises a plurality of conductive traces of the touch-sensing device.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the opening in the single conductive plane is large enough to electrically isolate the grounded connector from the conductive layer.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

coupling the touch-sensing device to a first side of a circuit board; and

coupling a processing device to a second side of the circuit board.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the touch-sensing structure comprises a touch-sensor button, a touch-sensor circular slider, or a touch-sensor slider.