Single-layer muti-touch capacitive imaging sensor

• US 9,081,457 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2013
• Issued: 07/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Inventors: Solven, Derek, Moore, Tyler
• Primary Examiner(s): FARAGALLA, MICHAEL A
• Application Number:
  US14/067,801
• Publication Number:
  US 20150116254A1
• Time in Patent Office: 622 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• 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 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention generally provide an input device having a reduced system complexity and low production cost. As the size of input devices, such as touch pads and other similar devices increase, the need for an input device that is able to maintain or even improve the touch sensing accuracy without greatly increasing the manufacturing cost becomes increasingly important. Embodiments of the invention may provide an input device that includes an array of capacitive sensing pixels that each include a unique pair of sensor electrodes, wherein at least one of the electrodes in a first pixel is also in communication with another sensor electrode in at least one other pixel, which is not in the same row or column with the first pixel.

Claims

1. A capacitive imaging sensor, comprising:

a first array of first sensor electrodes disposed on a surface of a substrate, wherein each of the first sensor electrodes comprise a first electrode region, and each of the first electrode regions are aligned in a first direction that is parallel to the surface;

a first array of second sensor electrodes disposed on the surface of the substrate, wherein each of the second sensor electrodes comprise a second electrode region, and each of the first electrode regions in the first array of first sensor electrodes are positioned to directly capacitively couple to at least a portion of a second sensor electrode in the first array of second sensor electrodes;

a second array of first sensor electrodes disposed on the surface of the substrate, wherein each of the first electrode regions of the first sensor electrodes in the second array are aligned in the first direction; and

a second array of second sensor electrodes disposed on the surface of the substrate, wherein each of the first electrode regions in the second array of first sensor electrodes are positioned to directly capacitively couple to at least a portion of a second sensor electrode in the second array of second sensor electrodes,

wherein the second array of first sensor electrodes are positioned a distance in a second direction from the first array of first sensor electrodes, and the second direction is not parallel to the first direction, and

wherein the first array of first sensor electrodes and the second array of first sensor electrodes are disposed on the surface of the substrate between the first array of second sensor electrodes and the second array of second sensor electrodes, and at least one second sensor electrode in the first array of second sensor electrodes is electrically coupled to at least one second sensor electrode in the second array of second sensor electrodes.

2. The capacitive imaging sensor of claim 1, wherein the second array of first sensor electrodes is a mirror image of the first array of first sensor electrodes about a first axis of symmetry that is parallel to the first direction.

3. The capacitive imaging sensor of claim 1, further comprising:

a third array of first sensor electrodes disposed on the surface of the substrate, wherein each of the first electrode regions of the first sensor electrodes in the third array are aligned in the first direction, and each of the first electrode regions in the third array of first sensor electrodes are positioned to directly capacitively couple to at least a portion of a second sensor electrode in the first array of second sensor electrodes; and

a fourth array of first sensor electrodes disposed on the surface of the substrate, wherein each of the first electrode regions of the first sensor electrodes in the fourth array are aligned in the first direction, and each of the first electrode regions in the fourth array of first sensor electrodes are positioned to directly capacitively couple to at least a portion of a second sensor electrode in the second array of second sensor electrodes.

4. The capacitive imaging sensor of claim 1, wherein the second sensor electrodes are configured as receiver electrodes and the first sensing electrodes are configured as transmitter electrodes, and none of the first sensor electrodes in the first array of first sensor electrodes are ohmically coupled to a first sensor electrode in the second array of first sensor electrodes.

5. The capacitive imaging sensor of claim 1, wherein the alignment of the first electrode regions along the first direction comprises aligning an edge of each of the first electrode regions along a first direction.

6. The capacitive imaging sensor of claim 1, wherein the first array of second sensor electrodes further comprises:

a first group of second electrode regions comprising two or more second electrode regions; and

a second group of second electrode regions comprising two or more second electrode regions,

wherein each of the two or more second electrode regions in the first group are in electrical communication with each other and each of the two or more second electrode regions in the second group are in electrical communication with each other.

7. The capacitive imaging sensor of claim 1, wherein the first sensor electrode and the second sensor electrode are either transmitter electrodes or receiver electrodes, and the ratio of transmitter electrodes to receiver electrodes is greater than 1.

8. The capacitive imaging sensor of claim 1, wherein each of the first sensor electrodes further comprise a trace that is coupled to the first electrode region and each of the second sensor electrodes further comprise a trace that is coupled to the second electrode region, and wherein the traces in each of the first sensor electrodes and the second sensor electrodes are coupled to a sensor processor.

9. The capacitive imaging sensor of claim 1, wherein the first sensor electrodes and the second sensor electrodes are substantially transparent.

10. The capacitive imaging sensor of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises part of a display.

11. A capacitive imaging sensor, comprising:

a first set of sensor electrode arrays comprising;

a first array of first sensor electrodes disposed on a surface of a substrate, wherein each of the first sensor electrodes comprise a first electrode region, and each of the first electrode regions are aligned in a first direction that is parallel to the surface;

a first array of second sensor electrodes disposed on the surface of the substrate, wherein each of the second sensor electrodes comprise a second electrode region, and each of the first electrode regions in the first array of first sensor electrodes are positioned to directly capacitively couple to at least a portion of a second sensor electrode in the first array of second sensor electrodes;

a second set of sensor electrode arrays comprising;

a second array of first sensor electrodes disposed on the surface of the substrate, wherein each of the first electrode regions of the first sensor electrodes in the second array are aligned in the first direction; and

a second array of second sensor electrodes disposed on the surface of the substrate, wherein each of the first electrode regions in the second array of first sensor electrodes are positioned to directly capacitively couple to at least a portion of a second sensor electrode in the second array of second sensor electrodes,

a third set of sensor electrode arrays comprising;

a third array of first sensor electrodes disposed on the surface of the substrate, wherein each of the first electrode regions of the first sensor electrodes in the third array are aligned in the first direction; and

a third array of second sensor electrodes disposed on the surface of the substrate, wherein each of the first electrode regions in the third array of first sensor electrodes are positioned to directly capacitively couple to at least a portion of a second sensor electrode in the third array of second sensor electrodes,

wherein the second and third arrays of first sensor electrodes are each positioned a distance in a second direction from the first array of first sensor electrodes, and the second direction is not parallel to the first direction, and

wherein the third set of sensor electrode arrays is disposed between the first set of sensor electrode arrays and the second set of sensor electrode arrays, and

wherein at least one second sensor electrode in the first array of second sensor electrodes is electrically coupled to at least one second sensor electrode in the second array of second sensor electrodes.

12. The capacitive imaging sensor of claim 11, wherein the third array of first sensor electrodes is a mirror image of the first array of first sensor electrodes about a first axis of symmetry that is parallel to the first direction.

13. The capacitive imaging sensor of claim 11, wherein the alignment of the first electrode regions along the first direction comprises aligning an edge of each of the first electrode regions along a first direction.

14. The capacitive imaging sensor of claim 11, wherein the second sensor electrodes in the first, second or third arrays further comprise receiver electrodes, and the first array of second sensor electrodes further comprises:

a first group of second electrode regions comprising two or more second electrode regions; and

a second group of second electrode regions comprising two or more second electrode regions,

wherein each of the two or more second electrode regions in the first group are in electrical communication with each other and each of the two or more second electrode regions in the second group are in electrical communication with each other.

15. The capacitive imaging sensor of claim 11, wherein the first sensor electrode and the second sensor electrode are either transmitter electrodes or receiver electrodes, and the ratio of transmitter electrodes to receiver electrodes is greater than 1.

16. The capacitive imaging sensor of claim 11, wherein each of the first sensor electrodes further comprise a trace that is coupled to the first electrode region and each of the second sensor electrodes further comprise a trace that is coupled to the second electrode region, and wherein the traces in each of the first sensor electrodes and the second sensor electrodes are coupled to a sensor processor.

17. The capacitive imaging sensor of claim 11, wherein the first sensor electrodes and the second sensor electrodes are substantially transparent.

18. The capacitive imaging sensor of claim 11, wherein the substrate comprises part of a display.

19. A touch screen, comprising:

a display;

a plurality of sensor electrodes disposed on a substrate of the display, the plurality of sensor electrodes comprising;

a first array of first sensor electrodes disposed on a surface of a substrate, wherein each of the first sensor electrodes comprise a first electrode region and a trace that is coupled to the first electrode region, and each of the first electrode regions are aligned along a first direction that is parallel to the surface;

a first array of second sensor electrodes disposed on the surface of the substrate, wherein each of the second sensor electrodes comprise a second electrode region and a trace that is coupled to the second electrode region, and each of the first electrode regions in the first array of first sensor electrodes are positioned to directly capacitively couple to at least a portion of a second sensor electrode in the first array of second sensor electrodes;

a second array of first sensor electrodes disposed on the surface of the substrate, wherein each of the first electrode regions of the first sensor electrodes in the second array are aligned along the first direction; and

a second array of second sensor electrodes disposed on the surface of the substrate, wherein each of the first electrode regions in the second array of first sensor electrodes are positioned to directly capacitively couple to at least a portion of a second sensor electrode in the second array of second sensor electrodes,

wherein the second array of first sensor electrodes are positioned a distance in a second direction from the first array of first sensor electrodes, and the second direction is not parallel to the first direction, and

wherein the first array of first sensor electrodes and the second array of first sensor electrodes are disposed on the surface of the substrate between the first array of second sensor electrodes and the second array of second sensor electrodes, and at least one second sensor electrode in the first array of second sensor electrodes is electrically coupled to at least one second sensor electrode in the second array of second sensor electrodes; and

a sensor processor communicatively coupled to the traces of the first and second sensor electrodes, and configured to receive resulting signals received by one or more of the second sensor electrodes when a first sensor electrode is driven for capacitive sensing.

20. The touch screen of claim 19, further comprising:

a third array of first sensor electrodes disposed on the surface of the substrate, wherein each of the first electrode regions of the first sensor electrodes in the third array are aligned in the first direction, and each of the first electrode regions in the third array of first sensor electrodes are positioned to directly capacitively couple to at least a portion of a second sensor electrode in the first array of second sensor electrodes; and

a fourth array of first sensor electrodes disposed on the surface of the substrate, wherein each of the first electrode regions of the first sensor electrodes in the fourth array are aligned in the first direction, and each of the first electrode regions in the fourth array of first sensor electrodes are positioned to directly capacitively couple to at least a portion of a second sensor electrode in the second array of second sensor electrodes.