Capacitive touch panel with multiple zones

• US 8,780,071 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2010
• Issued: 07/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AU Optronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: AU Optronics Corporation
• Inventors: Chen, Cheng-An, Yang, Tun-Chun, Lee, Seok-Lyul, Huang, Wei-Ming
• Primary Examiner(s): SHERMAN, STEPHEN G
• Application Number:
  US12/658,364
• Publication Number:
  US 20110192657A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,616 Days
• Field of Search: 178 1801- 1809, 178/18.11, 345173-178, 345/104
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• 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

In a capacitive touch panel having touch cells arranged in a two-dimensional array and defined by two coordinates, the present invention provides a third coordinate. In particular, the touch cells in a row are electrically connected a first sensing element and the touch cells in a column are electrically connected in a second sensing element. The first sensing elements can be arranged into two or more touch zones. Each of the touch zones has a zone sensing element for defining the zone coordinate. Some of the first sensing elements in one touch zone are electrically connected to the corresponding first sensing elements in the other touch zones in series. As such, the number of terminals connected to the first sensing elements can be reduced.

Claims

1. A capacitive touch panel, comprising:

a substrate comprising a plurality of touch zones arranged in an array in a non-overlapping manner; and

a touch sensing unit disposed on the substrate, the touch sensing unit comprising;

a plurality of first sensing elements disposed in the touch zones, each first sensing element arranged in a first direction for defining a first coordinate;

a plurality of second sensing elements disposed in the touch zones, each second sensing element arranged in a different second direction for defining a second coordinate, the first sensing elements arranged to cross the second sensing elements for forming a plurality of touch cells;

a plurality of zone sensing elements, each zone sensing element disposed in a different one of the touch zones for defining a zone coordinate, each zone sensing element arranged to overlap substantially with a group of touch cells, wherein the zone sensing elements are different from and not directly electrically connected to the first sensing elements and the second sensing elements;

a plurality of first terminals electrically connected to at least some of the first sensing elements;

a plurality of second terminals electrically connected to at least some of the second sensing elements;

a plurality of third terminals electrically connected to the zone sensing elements and

a plurality of first edge-bridge lines at an edge of the touch zones, each of the touch zones comprising a plurality of first sensing elements for defining a plurality of first coordinates and a plurality of second sensing elements for defining a plurality of second coordinates, wherein each of the first edge-bridge lines is arranged to separately connect some of the first sensing elements in series in at least one of the touch zones and corresponding some of the first sensing elements in series in at least another one of the touch zones.

2. The capacitive touch panel according to claim 1, wherein each of the first edge-bridge lines electrically connected to one of the first terminals correspondingly.

4. The capacitive touch panel according to claim 1, wherein some of the first edge-bridge lines are arranged in a crossed manner.

5. The capacitive touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of touch zones comprise a first touch zone and a second touch zone, and the plurality of first sensing elements comprise a first group of first sensing elements located in the first touch zone and a second group of first sensing elements located in the second touch zone, said touch panel further comprising:

a plurality of first edge-bridge lines for separately connecting at least some of the first sensing elements in the first group to the corresponding first sensing elements in the second group in series.

6. The capacitive touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of touch zones comprise a first touch zone, a second touch zone, a third touch zone and a fourth touch zone arranged in a two dimensional array, and wherein

the plurality of first sensing elements comprise a first group of first sensing elements and a second group of first sensing elements, the first group of first sensing elements located in the first touch zone and the third touch zone, the second group of first sensing elements located in the second touch zone and the fourth touch zone, and

the plurality of second sensing elements comprise a first group of second sensing elements and a second group of second sensing elements, the first group of second sensing elements located in the first touch zone and the second touch zone, the second group of second sensing elements located in the third touch zone and the fourth touch zone, said touch panel further comprising:

a plurality of first edge-bridge lines for separately connecting at least some of first sensing elements in the first group of the first sensing elements to the corresponding first sensing elements in the second group of the first sensing elements in series; and

a plurality of second edge-bridge lines for separately connecting at least some of second sensing elements in the first group of the second sensing elements to the corresponding second sensing elements in the second group of the second sensing elements in series.

7. The capacitive touch panel according to claim 1, further comprising a driving integrated circuit electrically connected to the first terminals, the second terminals and the third terminals for driving the first sensing elements, the second sensing elements and the zone sensing elements.

8. The capacitive touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the substrate has a first side and an opposing second side, and wherein the first sensing elements and the second sensing elements are disposed on the first side, and the zone sensing elements are disposed on one of the first side and the second side.

9. The capacitive touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the substrate comprising a display panel.

10. The capacitive touch panel according to claim 9, further comprising an auxiliary substrate disposed between the touch sensing unit and the display panel.

11. The capacitive touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the substrate comprising a transparent substrate.

12. The capacitive touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the substrate comprising a printed circuit board.

13. The capacitive touch panel according to claim 1, wherein each of the first sensing elements comprises a plurality of first sensing pads connected in series and each of the second sensing elements comprises a plurality of second sensing pads connected in series.

14. The capacitive touch panel according to claim 1, wherein each of the first sensing elements crosses one of the second sensing element at a crossing point, forming one of the touch cells.

15. The capacitive touch panel according to claim 1, wherein each of the zone sensing elements is spaced from the touch cells.

19. The capacitive touch panel according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of touch zones comprise at least a first touch zone and a second touch zone, and each of said plurality of the first edge-bridge lines is arranged to connect some of the first sensing elements in the first touch zone in series and corresponding some of the first sensing elements in the second touch zone in series.

3. The capacitive touch panel according to claim herein the first edge-bridge lines are arranged in parallel.

16. A touch sensing unit adapted for a capacitive touch panel having a substrate comprising a plurality of touch zones arranged in array in an non-overlapping manner, the touch sensing unit comprising:

a plurality of first sensing elements disposed in the touch zones, each of the first sensing elements arranged in a first direction for defining a first coordinate;

a plurality of second sensing elements disposed in the touch zones, each of the second sensing elements arranged in a second direction different from the first direction for defining a second coordinate, the second sensing elements arranged to cross the first sensing elements to form a plurality of touch cells;

a plurality of zone sensing elements, each of the zone sensing elements disposed in one of touch zones correspondingly and differently for defining a zone coordinate, each of the zone sensing elements arranged to overlap substantially with a group of the touch cells, wherein the zone sensing elements are electrically isolated from the first sensing elements and the second sensing elements;

a plurality of first terminals electrically connected to at least some of the first sensing elements;

a plurality of second terminals electrically connected to at least some of the second sensing elements;

a plurality of third terminals electrically connected to the zone sensing elements correspondingly; and

a plurality of first edge-bridge lines at an edge of the touch zones, each of the touch zones comprising a plurality of first sensing elements for defining a plurality of first coordinates and a plurality of second sensing elements for defining a plurality of second coordinates, wherein each of the first edge-bridge lines is arranged to separately connect some of the first sensing elements in series in at least one of the touch zones and corresponding some of the first sensing elements in series in at least another one of the touch zones.

17. A capacitive touch unit, comprising:

a plurality of touch zones;

a plurality of coordinate sensing elements disposed in the touch zones in a substrate, each coordinate sensing element identifiable by a first coordinate and a different second coordinate, wherein, among the plurality of coordinate sensing elements, at least one coordinate sensing element in one of the touch zones is electrically connected to one corresponding coordinate sensing element in at least another one of the touch zones, and wherein the first coordinate of said one coordinate sensing element is the same as the first coordinate of said corresponding coordinate sensing element but the second coordinate of said one coordinate sensing element is different from the second coordinate of said corresponding coordinate sensing element; and

a plurality of zone sensing elements different from the coordinate sensing elements, the zone sensing elements disposed on the substrate and identifiable by a plurality of zone coordinates in different touch zones, each zone sensing element associated with and spaced from a different one of the coordinate sensing elements, wherein only one of the second coordinate of said coordinate sensing element and the second coordinate of said corresponding coordinate sensing element is arranged for determining the second coordinate of said coordinate sensing element and the second coordinate of said corresponding coordinate sensing element based on the zone coordinates.

18. The capacitive touch unit according to claim 17, further comprising a plurality of first electrical conductors, a plurality of second electrical conductors and a plurality of electrically conductive elements on a substrate, each of the electrically conductive elements associated with a different one of the coordinate sensing elements, and wherein each of the coordinate sensing elements comprises a first sub-element for defining the first coordinate and a second sub-element for defining the second coordinate, such that the first sub-elements of the same first coordinate are electrically connected to one another via a different one of the first electrical conductors, and the second sub-elements of the same second coordinate are electrically connected to one another via a different one of the second electrical conductors, and wherein the electrically conductive element in the same touch zone are electrically connected to a zone terminal for determining the zone coordinate of said same touch zone.