Touch regions in diamond configuration

• US 9,261,997 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2009
• Issued: 02/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Chang, Shih Chang, Yousefpor, Marduke
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): HEYI, HENOK G
• Application Number:
  US12/545,604
• Publication Number:
  US 20100194696A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,370 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04108 Touchless 2D- digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface without distance measurement in the Z direction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04113 Peripheral electrode pattern in resistive digitisers, i.e. electrodes at the periphery of the resistive sheet are shaped in patterns enhancing linearity of induced field
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04166 Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184
• 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

Touch regions in a diamond configuration in a touch sensitive device are disclosed. Touch regions can include drive regions of display pixels to receive stimulation signals and sense regions of display pixels to send touch signals based on a touch or near touch. The drive regions and sense regions can be disposed diagonally adjacent to each other to form a diamond configuration. In an example diamond configuration, diagonal drive regions can be separate and unconnected from each other, while diagonal sense regions can be electrically connected to each other via their sense lines. The diagonal sense region connections can be in a forward diagonal direction, a backward diagonal direction, or a combination thereof. In an alternate example diamond configuration, diagonal drive regions can be electrically connected to each other via their drive lines, while diagonal sense regions can be electrically connected to each other via their sense lines. The diagonal drive and sense region connections can be in a forward diagonal direction, a backward diagonal direction, or combinations thereof. An exemplary touch sensitive device having a diamond configuration can be a touch screen.

Claims

1. A touch sensitive device comprising:

a plurality of display pixels configured to display graphics or data in a display mode and to sense a touch event in a touch mode,

wherein, during the touch mode, some of the display pixels are electrically connected together by at least a first common voltage line to form drive regions for receiving a stimulation signal and others of the display pixels are electrically connected together by at least a second common voltage line to form sense regions for sending a touch signal based on the touch event, a first drive region being separated from a second drive region by a first area, and a first sense region being separated from a second sense region by a second area, and

wherein, during the touch mode, the drive regions and the sense regions are adjacently disposed in a diamond configuration, the first drive region and the second drive region are electrically connected in the diamond configuration using at least the first common voltage line within the first area, and the first sense region and the second sense region are electrically connected in the diamond configuration using at least the second common voltage line within the second area.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein each drive region comprises a plurality of drive lines formed by common voltage lines.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein each sense region comprises a plurality of sense lines formed by common voltage lines.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the drive regions and the sense regions form a matrix of rows and columns, each row and column has alternate drive regions and sense regions, and each diagonal of the matrix has either all drive regions or all sense regions, to form the diamond configuration.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein, in each diagonal of drive regions, the drive regions are disposed in a forward diagonal direction or in a backward diagonal direction.

6. The device of claim 4, wherein, in each diagonal of sense regions, the sense regions are electrically connected together in a forward diagonal direction or in a backward diagonal direction.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the sizes of the drive regions and the sense regions are substantially the same.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the sizes of the drive regions and the sense regions are substantially different.

9. The device of claim 1 incorporated into at least one of a mobile telephone, a digital media player, or a personal computer.

10. A touch sensitive device comprising:

a plurality of first common voltage lines in a first plurality of display pixels and a first plurality of second common voltage lines in the first plurality of display pixels electrically connected to form a first of a plurality of first regions for driving a stimulation signal, the first of the first regions being separated from a second of the first regions by a first area; and

a second plurality of second common voltage lines in a second plurality of display pixels forming a second of a plurality of second regions for transmitting a touch signal based on a touch event, a first of the second regions being separated from the second of the second regions by a second area,

wherein, while in a touch mode configured to sense the touch event, the plurality of first and second regions are adjacently disposed in a diamond configuration, the first of the first regions and the second of the first regions are electrically connected in the diamond configuration using at least a first of the plurality of first common voltage lines within the first area, and the first of the second regions and the second of the second regions are electrically connected in the diamond configuration using at least a first of the plurality of second common voltage lines within the second area.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the plurality of first common voltage lines are oriented either horizontally or diagonally in the plurality of first regions.

12. The device of claim 10, wherein the first plurality of second common voltage lines are oriented either vertically or diagonally in the plurality of first regions.

13. The device of claim 10, wherein the second plurality of second common voltage lines are oriented either vertically or diagonally in the plurality of second regions.

14. The device of claim 10,

wherein the first regions and the second regions form a matrix of rows and columns, each row and column has alternate first regions and second regions, and each diagonal of the matrix has either all first regions or all second regions, and

wherein, in each diagonal of first regions, the first regions are disposed in either a forward or a backward diagonal direction and, in each diagonal of second regions, the second regions are electrically connected together in either a forward or a backward diagonal direction, to form the diamond configuration.

15. A method for operating a touch sensitive device having touch regions in a diamond configuration, comprising:

receiving a touch on a touch sensitive device in a first region of display pixels electrically connected together by at least a first common voltage line, the first region disposed among a plurality of first regions in a diamond configuration, the first of the first regions being separated from a second of the first regions by a first area, the first of the first regions and the second of the first regions electrically connected in the diamond configuration using at least the first common voltage line within the first area; and

sensing the received touch in a second region of display pixels electrically connected together by at least a second common voltage line, the second region disposed among a plurality of second regions in the diamond configuration, a first of the second regions being separated from the second of the second regions by a second area, the first of the second regions and the second of the second regions electrically connected in the diamond configuration using at least the second common voltage line within the second area,

wherein

the first region that receives the touch and the second region that senses the received touch are adjacent to each other.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein receiving the touch comprises receiving a touch or near touch of an object in the first region.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein sensing the received touch comprises sensing, in the adjacent sense region, a change in capacitance by the first region.

18. A touch sensitive device comprising:

a plurality of touch regions formed during a touch mode of the device, some of the touch regions being drive regions comprising display pixels electrically connected by at least a first common voltage line and configured to drive a stimulation signal, and the other of the touch regions being sense regions comprising display pixels electrically connected by at least a second common voltage line and configured to sense a touch or near touch, a first drive region being separated from a second drive region by a first area, and a first sense region being separated from a second sense region by a second area,

wherein the drive regions and the sense regions are formed into adjacent diagonals to form a diamond configuration, the first drive region and the second drive region are electrically connected in the diamond configuration using at least the first common voltage line within the first area, and the first sense region and the second sense region are electrically connected in the diamond configuration using at least the second common voltage line within the second area.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein each diagonal of sense regions electrically connects capacitive elements of the display pixels in the sense regions together to form the diamond configuration.

20. The device of claim 18, wherein each diagonal of sense regions extends a sense region along the diagonal to form the diamond configuration.

21. The device of claim 18, wherein each diagonal of drive regions electrically connects capacitive elements of the display pixels in the drive regions together to form the diamond configuration.

22. The device of claim 18, wherein each diagonal of drive regions disposes the drive regions unconnected along the diagonal to form the diamond configuration.

23. The device of claim 18, wherein each drive region comprises:

a plurality of first common voltage lines intersecting with a plurality of second common voltage lines; and

a grouping of the intersecting lines to form the drive region.

24. The device of claim 18, wherein each sense region comprises:

a plurality of common voltage lines; and

a grouping of the lines to form the sense region.

25. A touch screen comprising:

a plurality of display pixels configured to display graphics or data in a display mode and to sense a touch event in a touch mode,

wherein, during the touch mode, some of the display pixels are electrically connected together by at least a first common voltage line to form drive regions for receiving a stimulation signal to drive the drive regions to receive the touch event, and others of the display pixels are electrically connected together by at least a second common voltage line to form sense regions for sending a touch signal based on the touch event, a first drive region being separated from a second drive region by a first area, and a first sense region being separated from a second sense region by a second area, and

wherein, during the touch mode, the drive regions and the sense regions are adjacently disposed in a diamond configuration, the first drive region and the second drive region are electrically connected in the diamond configuration using at least the first common voltage line within the first area, and the first sense region and the second sense region are electrically connected in the diamond configuration using at least the second common voltage line within the second area.