Touch sensor pattern

• US 9,007,333 B1
• Filed: 03/19/2012
• Issued: 04/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Monterey Research, LLC (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Inventors: Wilson, Cole, Prendergast, Patrick, Peterson, Jon
• Primary Examiner(s): Sasinowski, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US13/424,361
• Time in Patent Office: 1,121 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-179
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04111 Cross over in capacitive digitiser, i.e. details of structures for connecting electrodes of the sensing pattern where the connections cross each other, e.g. bridge structures comprising an insulating layer, or vias through substrate
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• 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
• 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 capacitive sensor array may include a first plurality of sensor elements and a second sensor element. The second sensor element may include a main trace intersecting each of the first plurality of sensor elements to form a plurality of intersections each associated with a unit cell, where a contiguous section of the main trace crosses at least one of the plurality of unit cells. An area within the unit cell may include at least a portion of one or more primary subtraces branching from main subtrace, a plurality of secondary subtraces branching away from the one or more primary subtraces, and at least one tertiary subtrace branching away from at least one of the secondary subtraces.

Claims

1. A capacitive sensor array, comprising:

a first plurality of sensor elements disposed in a layer of a substrate; and

a second sensor element disposed in the layer of the substrate, the second sensor element comprising a main trace intersecting each of the first plurality of sensor elements to form a plurality of intersections each associated with a unit cell, wherein each of the plurality of unit cells designates a set of locations nearest a corresponding intersection, wherein a contiguous section of the main trace crosses at least one of the plurality of unit cells, and wherein within each unit cell, at least a portion of one or more primary subtraces branches away from the main subtrace, a plurality of secondary subtraces branch away from the one or more primary subtraces, at least one tertiary subtrace branches away from at least one of the secondary subtraces, and a single bridge is coupled to a first sensor element of the first plurality of sensor elements, wherein each of the first plurality of sensor elements is a transmit (TX) sensor element and the second sensor element is a receive (RX) sensor element, and within each unit cell, an area of one of the first plurality of sensor elements is greater than an area of the second sensor element.

2. The capacitive sensor array of claim 1, wherein the plurality of secondary subtraces comprises at least four secondary subtraces.

3. The capacitive sensor array of claim 1, wherein at least one tertiary trace comprises at least two tertiary subtraces branching from each of the plurality of secondary subtraces.

4. The capacitive sensor array of claim 1, wherein the at least one tertiary trace has at least one ear vertex.

5. The capacitive sensor array of claim 4, wherein the at least one tertiary trace is rectangular.

6. The capacitive sensor array of claim 1, wherein a longitudinal axis of each of the primary subtraces is perpendicular to the main trace at a junction between the primary subtrace and the main trace.

7. The capacitive sensor array of claim 1, wherein, within each unit cell, a gap between one of the first plurality of sensor elements and the second sensor element is substantially uniform.

8. A capacitive touch-sensing system, comprising:

a first plurality of sensor elements disposed in a layer of a substrate; and

a second sensor element disposed in the layer of the substrate, the second sensor element comprising a main trace intersecting each of the first plurality of sensor elements to form a plurality of intersections each associated with a unit cell, wherein each of the plurality of unit cells designates a set of locations nearest a corresponding intersection, wherein a contiguous section of the main trace crosses at least one of the plurality of unit cells, and wherein an area within the unit cell includes at least a portion of one or more primary subtraces branching from main subtrace, a plurality of secondary subtraces branching away from the one or more primary subtraces, at least one tertiary subtrace branching away from at least one of the secondary subtraces, and a single bridge coupled to a first sensor element of the first plurality of sensor elements, wherein, within each unit cell, an area of one of the first plurality of sensor elements is greater than an area of the second sensor element; and

a capacitance sensor coupled with the capacitive sensor array, wherein the capacitance sensor is configured to measure a mutual capacitance for each intersection between the second sensor element and one of the first plurality of sensor elements.

9. The capacitive touch-sensing system of claim 8, wherein the plurality of secondary subtraces comprises at least four secondary subtraces.

10. The capacitive touch-sensing system of claim 8, wherein at least one tertiary trace comprises at least two tertiary subtraces branching from each of the plurality of secondary subtraces.

11. The capacitive touch-sensing system of claim 8, wherein the at least one tertiary trace has at least one ear vertex.

12. The capacitive touch-sensing system of claim 8, wherein a long axis of each of the primary subtraces is perpendicular to the main trace at a junction between the primary subtrace and the main trace.

13. The capacitive touch-sensing system of claim 8, wherein each of the first plurality of sensor elements is a transmit (TX) sensor element and the second sensor element is a receive (RX) sensor element.

14. The capacitive touch-sensing system of claim 8, wherein, within each unit cell, a gap between one of the first plurality of sensor elements and the second sensor element is substantially uniform.

15. A capacitive sensor array, comprising:

a first plurality of sensor elements disposed within a first layer;

a second sensor element disposed within the first layer, the second sensor element comprising a main trace intersecting each of the first plurality of sensor elements to form a plurality of intersections each associated with a unit cell, wherein each of the plurality of unit cells designates a set of locations nearest a corresponding intersection, wherein a contiguous section of the main trace crosses at least one of the plurality of unit cells, wherein an area within the unit cell includes a single bridge coupled to a surface of the layer, at least one primary subtrace branching from the main trace, at least one secondary subtrace branching from the at least one primary subtrace, and at least one tertiary subtrace branching from the at least one secondary subtrace, and wherein, within the unit cell, an area of one of the first plurality of sensor elements is greater than an area of the second sensor element and a shape formed by the second sensor element includes at least 20 ear vertexes.

16. The capacitive sensor array of claim 15, wherein at least some of the 20 ear vertexes are corners of the at least one tertiary subtrace.

17. The capacitive sensor array of claim 15, wherein at least some of the 20 ear vertexes are corners of the at least one secondary subtrace.