Projective capacitive touch sensor

• US 8,922,500 B2
• Filed: 10/07/2010
• Issued: 12/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HannStar Display Corporation
• Original Assignee: HannStar Display Corporation
• Inventors: CHANG, Hung Chang, JUAN, Yi Chung, Wu, Chao Hui
• Primary Examiner(s): Sim, Yong H
• Application Number:
  US12/899,816
• Publication Number:
  US 20110102366A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,545 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-184
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• 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

Abstract

A projective capacitive touch sensor includes a substrate, a plurality of electrode layers and a plurality of dielectric layers. The electrode layers are arranged on the substrate along a first direction. At least one dielectric layer is formed on each electrode layer and the dielectric layer has different widths along a second direction.

Claims

1. A projective capacitive touch sensor, configured to detect a conductive object approaching thereto, the projective capacitive touch sensor comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of electrode layers arranged on the substrate along a first direction;

a plurality of dielectric layers formed on each of the electrode layers; and

a plurality of slits formed on each of the electrode layers and surrounding the dielectric layers on said electrode layer,

wherein the dielectric layers formed on each of the electrode layers have different areas along a second direction and are configured to form different equivalent dielectric constants for inducing different capacitance variations between the conductive object and the electrode layer, and

wherein, among the dielectric layers on each of the electrode layers, a dielectric layer with a smaller area is surrounded by more slits.

2. The projective capacitive touch sensor as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of conductive traces respectively coupled to the electrode layers; and

a processing unit coupled to all of the electrode layers through the conductive traces and configured to identify a position of the conductive object with respect to the touch sensor along the first and second directions according to the capacitance variations between the conductive object and the electrode layers.

3. The projective capacitive touch sensor as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a protective layer covering the electrode layers and the corresponding dielectric layers, wherein a dielectric constant difference between the protective layer and the dielectric layers is larger than 4.

4. The projective capacitive touch sensor as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the electrode layers has a constant width along the second direction.

5. The projective capacitive touch sensor as claimed in claim 1, wherein areas of the plurality of dielectric layers formed on each of the electrode layers are monotonically decreasing or increasing along the second direction.

6. A projective capacitive touch sensor, configured to detect a conductive object approaching thereto, the projective capacitive touch sensor comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of electrode layers arranged on the substrate along a first direction;

a plurality of dielectric layers formed on each of the electrode layers; and

a plurality of slits formed on each of the electrode layers and outside the dielectric layers on said electrode layer,

wherein the dielectric layers formed on each of the electrode layers have different widths along a second direction and are configured to form different equivalent dielectric constants for inducing different capacitance variations between the conductive object and the electrode layers, and

wherein, among the dielectric layers on each of the electrode layers, a dielectric layer with a smaller area is surrounded by more slits.

7. The projective capacitive touch sensor as claimed in claim 6, further comprising:

a plurality of conductive traces respectively coupled to the electrode layers; and

a processing unit coupled to all of the electrode layers through the conductive traces and configured to identify a position of the conductive object with respect to the touch sensor along the first and second directions according to the capacitance variations between the conductive object and the electrode layers.

8. The projective capacitive touch sensor as claimed in claim 6, further comprising a protective layer covering the electrode layers and the corresponding dielectric layers, wherein a dielectric constant difference between the protective layer and the dielectric layers is larger than 4.

9. The projective capacitive touch sensor as claimed in claim 6, wherein each of the electrode layers has a constant width along the second direction.

10. The projective capacitive touch sensor as claimed in claim 6, wherein widths of the dielectric layers formed on each of the electrode layers are monotonically decreasing or increasing along the second direction.

11. A projective capacitive touch sensor, configured to detect a conductive object approaching thereto, the projective capacitive touch sensor comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of electrode layers arranged on the substrate along a first direction;

a plurality of dielectric layers each of which is formed on one of the electrode layers; and

a plurality of slits formed on each of the electrode layers inside the through openings,

wherein the dielectric layer formed on each of the electrode layers includes through openings with different areas along a second direction and is configured to form different equivalent dielectric constants for inducing different capacitance variations between the conductive object and the electrode layers, and

wherein, among the through openings of the dielectric layer on each of the electrode layers, more slits are formed inside a through opening with a larger area.

12. The projective capacitive touch sensor as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:

a plurality of conductive traces respectively coupled to the electrode layers; and

a processing unit coupled to all electrode layers through the conductive traces and configured to identify a position of the conductive object with respect to the touch sensor along the first and second directions according to the capacitance variations between the conductive object and the electrode layers.

13. The projective capacitive touch sensor as claimed in claim 11, further comprising a protective layer covering each of the electrode layers and the corresponding dielectric layer, wherein a dielectric constant difference between the protective layer and the dielectric layer is larger than 4.

14. The projective capacitive touch sensor as claimed in claim 11, wherein each of the electrode layers has a constant width along the second direction.

15. The projective capacitive touch sensor as claimed in claim 11, wherein areas of the through openings of the dielectric layer formed on each of the electrode layers are monotonically decreasing or increasing along the second direction.