Electrical touch screen sensor

• US 9,280,238 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2006
• Issued: 03/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Posamentier, Joshua
• Primary Examiner(s): Harris, Dorothy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shapiro, Leonid
• Application Number:
  US11/513,672
• Publication Number:
  US 20080055260A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,478 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-182
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-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 and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means

Abstract

Apparatus, systems including an electrical touch screen sensor and methods for implementing an electrical touch screen sensor are disclosed. For example, an apparatus is disclosed including a display having an array of display pixels and a plurality of sensors distributed amongst the display pixels and embedded within the display, where the sensors act to detect changes in capacitance associated with objects placed in proximity to the display pixels. Other implementations are also disclosed.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a display including an array of non-capacitive, image producing display pixels formed in an integrated circuit substrate;

a plurality of capacitive sensors distributed amongst the display pixels and embedded within the display and integrated with said pixels in said substrate, the sensors to detect capacitive coupling between an object placed in proximity to the display pixels and a sensor;

a transimpedance amplifier (TIA);

a capacitance detection element (CDE) coupled to the TIA; and

a buffer coupled to the CDE.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display pixels comprise a plurality of display pixel regions, wherein the each of the sensors is associated with a corresponding one of the display pixel regions, and wherein two or more of the sensors are at least capable of simultaneously detecting changes in capacitance associated with objects placed in proximity to different display pixel regions of the plurality of display pixel regions.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the TIA is to supply a voltage pulse to the CDE, and wherein the buffer is to obtain a voltage profile from the CDE, the voltage profile to correspond to the voltage pulse as modified by capacitive coupling of an object in proximity to the CDE.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the CDE comprises a conductive area located adjacent to one of the display pixels.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

processing logic coupled to the sensors, the processing logic to identify sensors detecting changes in capacitance greater than a reference capacitance.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising:

pointing logic coupled to the processing logic, the pointing logic to identify one or more display pixels associated with sensors identified by the processing logic.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the array of display pixels comprise liquid crystal display (LCD) pixels.