Flipped cell sensor pattern

• US 8,754,662 B1
• Filed: 06/14/2013
• Issued: 06/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Parade Technologies, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Inventors: Weng, XiaoPing, Deng, Yingzhu, Avery, Benjamin
• Primary Examiner(s): NATALINI, JEFF WILLIAM
• Application Number:
  US13/918,252
• Time in Patent Office: 368 Days
• Field of Search: 324/686
• US Class Current: 324/686
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 27/2605 Measuring capacitance capacitive sensors G01D5/24
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04164 Connections between sensors and controllers, e.g. routing lines between electrodes and connection pads
• 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

Embodiments of a capacitive sensor array may comprise a large sensor electrode and a plurality of small sensor electrodes, including a first small sensor electrode, a second small sensor electrode, and a third small sensor electrode. The large sensor electrode and the plurality of small sensor electrodes may be formed from a single layer of conductive material. The first small sensor electrode may be located on the same lateral side of the large sensor electrode as the second small sensor electrode, may be consecutive with the second small sensor electrode in a spatial order of the small sensor electrodes along a longitudinal axis of the large sensor electrode, and may be located on an opposite lateral side of the large sensor electrode from the third small sensor electrode. For each small sensor electrode of the plurality of small sensor electrodes, at least a portion of the small sensor electrode may be located between two interior points of the large sensor electrode.

Claims

1. A capacitive sensor array, comprising:

a large sensor electrode; and

a plurality of small sensor electrodes, including a first small sensor electrode, a second small sensor electrode, and a third small sensor electrode, wherein the large sensor electrode and the plurality of small sensor electrodes are formed from a single layer of conductive material, wherein the first small sensor electrode is located on a same lateral side of the large sensor electrode as the second small sensor electrode, is consecutive with the second small sensor electrode in a spatial order that is along a direction of a longitudinal axis of the large sensor electrode and that includes any small sensor electrodes located at least partially between two interior points of the large sensor electrode, and is located on an opposite lateral side of the large sensor electrode from the third small sensor electrode, and wherein for each small sensor electrode of the plurality of small sensor electrodes, at least a portion of the small sensor electrode is located between two interior points of the large sensor electrode, and the longitudinal axis of the large sensor electrode intersects at least a portion of the small sensor electrode.

2. The capacitive sensor array of claim 1, wherein for each small sensor electrode of the plurality of small sensor electrodes, the small sensor electrode is electrically connected to a conductive pad located outside an active sensing area of the capacitive sensor array.

3. The capacitive sensor array of claim 1, wherein the first small sensor electrode comprises a first routing trace extending to a first edge region of the capacitive sensor array, wherein the second small sensor electrode comprises a second routing trace extending to the first edge region of the capacitive sensor array, and wherein the third small sensor electrode comprises a third routing trace extending to a second edge region of the capacitive sensor array opposite the first edge region.

4. The capacitive sensor array of claim 1, wherein for each small sensor electrode of the plurality of sensor electrodes, the small sensor electrode comprises a subelement electrically coupled with a routing trace extending to an edge region of the capacitive sensor array that is nearer to the subelement than to any other edge region in a subset of edge regions of the capacitive sensor array.

5. The capacitive sensor array of claim 1, further comprising a shield trace located between the large sensor electrode and a routing trace of at least one of the plurality of small sensor electrodes.

6. The capacitive sensor array of claim 1, further comprising a second large sensor electrode, wherein the third small sensor electrode comprises a first subelement coupled with a second subelement via one or more routing traces extending to an edge region of the capacitive sensor array, wherein at least a portion of the second subelement is located between two interior points of the second large sensor electrode.

7. The capacitive sensor array of claim 6, wherein the first subelement is located on a first lateral side of the large sensor electrode, and wherein the second subelement is located on a lateral side of the second large electrode facing the first lateral side of the large sensor electrode.

8. The capacitive sensor array of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of small sensor electrodes comprises a plurality of subtraces interleaved with subtraces of the large sensor electrode.

9. A capacitive sensor array, comprising:

a plurality of column sensor electrodes; and

a plurality of row sensor electrodes formed from a same layer of conductive material as the plurality of column sensor electrodes, wherein an active sensing area of the capacitive sensor array is divisible into a grid of N×

M unit cells each corresponding to a sensing region between one of the column sensor electrodes and one of the row sensor electrodes, wherein N and M each represent an integer greater than or equal to 2, and wherein for each column sensor electrode of the plurality of column sensor electrodes,

the column sensor electrode comprises a main trace extending from a first end of the column sensor electrode to a second end of the column sensor electrode opposite the first end, and

a first row sensor electrode in a first unit cell is located on a same lateral side of the main trace as a second row sensor electrode in a second unit cell that is consecutive with the first unit cell in a spatial order of unit cells along a direction of a longitudinal axis of the column sensor electrode, and is located on an opposite lateral side of the main trace of the column sensor electrode from a third row sensor electrode in a third unit cell, wherein the longitudinal axis of the column sensor electrode intersects at least a portion of each of the first unit cell, the second unit cell, and the third unit cell.

10. The capacitive sensor array of claim 9, wherein for each row sensor electrode of the plurality of row sensor electrodes, the row sensor electrode is electrically connected to a conductive pad outside the active sensing area of the capacitive sensor array.

11. The capacitive sensor array of claim 9, wherein for at least one column sensor electrode of the plurality of column sensor electrodes, the first row sensor electrode comprises a first routing trace extending to a first edge region of the capacitive sensor array, wherein the second row sensor electrode comprises a second routing trace extending to the first edge region of the capacitive sensor array, and wherein the third row sensor electrode comprises a third routing trace extending to a second edge region of the capacitive sensor array opposite the first edge region.

12. The capacitive sensor array of claim 9, wherein for each row sensor electrode of the plurality of sensor electrodes, the row sensor electrode comprises a subelement electrically coupled with a routing trace extending to an edge region of the capacitive sensor array that is nearer to the subelement than to any other edge region in a subset of edge regions of the capacitive sensor array.

13. The capacitive sensor array of claim 9, further comprising a shield trace located between each column sensor electrode at least one routing trace of one of the plurality of row sensor electrodes.

14. The capacitive sensor array of claim 9, wherein for at least one column sensor electrode of the plurality of column sensor electrodes, the first row sensor electrode comprises a first subelement coupled with a second subelement via one or more routing traces extending to an edge region of the capacitive sensor array, wherein the second subelement is located in a fourth unit cell that is adjacent to the third unit cell and that is in a different column of unit cells than the third unit cell.

15. The capacitive sensor array of claim 14, wherein the first subelement is located on a first lateral side of the at least one column sensor electrode, and wherein the second subelement is located on a lateral side of a second column sensor electrode facing the first lateral side of the at least one column sensor electrode.

16. The capacitive sensor array of claim 9, wherein each of the plurality of row sensor electrodes comprises a plurality of subtraces interleaved with subtraces of at least one column sensor electrode.

17. A capacitance sensing system, comprising:

a capacitance sensor;

a large sensor electrode of a capacitive sensor array coupled with the capacitance sensor; and

a plurality of small sensor electrodes of the capacitive sensor array each coupled with the capacitance sensor, including a first small sensor electrode, a second small sensor electrode, and a third small sensor electrode, wherein the large sensor electrode and the plurality of small sensor electrodes are formed from a single layer of conductive material, wherein the first small sensor electrode is located on a same lateral side of the large sensor electrode as the second small sensor electrode, is consecutive with the second small sensor electrode in a spatial order that is along a direction of a longitudinal axis of the large sensor electrode and that includes any small sensor electrodes located at least partially between two interior points of the large sensor electrode, and is located on an opposite lateral side of the large sensor electrode from the third small sensor electrode, and wherein for each small sensor electrode of the plurality of small sensor electrodes, at least a portion of the small sensor electrode is located between two interior points of the large sensor electrode, and the longitudinal axis of the large sensor electrode intersects at least a portion of the small sensor electrode.

18. The capacitance sensing system of claim 17, wherein the capacitance sensor is configured to measure mutual capacitances between the large sensor electrode and each of the small sensor electrodes.

19. The capacitance sensing system of claim 17, wherein the first small sensor electrode comprises a first routing trace extending to a first edge region of the capacitive sensor array, wherein the second small sensor electrode comprises a second routing trace extending to the first edge region of the capacitive sensor array, and wherein the third small sensor electrode comprises a third routing trace extending to a second edge region of the capacitive sensor array opposite the first edge region.

20. The capacitance sensing system of claim 17, further comprising a second large sensor electrode, wherein the third small sensor electrode comprises a first subelement coupled with a second subelement via one or more routing traces extending to an edge region of the capacitive sensor array, wherein at least a portion of the second subelement is located between two interior points of the second large sensor electrode, and wherein the first subelement is located on a first lateral side of the large sensor electrode, and wherein the second subelement is located on a lateral side of the second large electrode facing the first lateral side of the large sensor electrode.