Touch sensitive surface for an electronic device with false touch protection

• US 9,235,299 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2013
• Issued: 01/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Ady, Roger W, Merrell, Thomas Y, Slaby, Jiri
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhou, Hong
• Application Number:
  US13/760,464
• Publication Number:
  US 20140218330A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,070 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-174, 345/169, 178/18.01, 178/18.03, 178/18.06, 341/22, 341/33, 200/600, 200/43.01
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/962 Capacitive touch switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/96062 with tactile or haptic feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/960705 Safety of capacitive touch and proximity switches, e.g. increasing reliability, fail-safe

Abstract

A touch sensitive surface (401) for an electronic device (200) includes a capacitive touchpad (409). A grille (413) of non-conductive material (515) is disposed along at least a portion of the touch sensitive surface. A predefined threshold of a normal force component (804) applied by a user'"'"'s finger or other conductive object overcomes the grille (413) to allow the finger or other conductive object to interact with the capacitive touchpad. The touch sensitive surface reduces false touch activation occurrences and can simulate the tactility of a mechanical switch.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a housing substrate that forms at least one side of the electronic device, the housing substrate comprising a non-conductive portion and a conductive portion; and

a touch sensitive surface disposed along the conductive portion of the housing substrate, wherein the non-conductive portion of the housing substrate is disposed on either side of the touch sensitive surface, the touch sensitive surface comprising;

a capacitive touchpad spanning the touch sensitive surface;

an adhesive layer bonding the capacitive touchpad to a first side of the housing substrate; and

a grille of non-conductive material disposed along at least a portion of the capacitive touchpad, wherein the grille is adhesively attached to the conductive portion of the housing substrate on a side of the housing opposite the touch sensitive surface.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:

a control circuit, operable with the capacitive touchpad, to detect touch actuation from an object overcoming a force threshold defined by the grille.

3. The electronic device of claim 2, further comprising:

a haptic component operable with the control circuit, the control circuit to actuate the haptic component upon detecting the touch actuation.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the grille is disposed along a first portion of the capacitive touchpad and not along a second portion of the capacitive touchpad, the second portion being sufficiently sized to allow a user to perform a gesture input at the second portion without touching the first portion.

5. The electronic device of claim 4, wherein the grille is a first grille and the touch sensitive surface further comprises a second grille of the non-conductive material disposed along a third portion of the capacitive touchpad, wherein the second portion of the capacitive touchpad separates the first portion and the third portion.

6. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the electronic device is configured to perform a scrolling operation in response to the gesture input at the second portion.

7. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the electronic device is configured to increase a volume level in response to detecting a gesture at a first portion and decrease the volume level in response to detecting a gesture at the third portion.

8. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a non-conductive portion outside a perimeter of the touch sensitive surface.