Mutual capacitance touch sensing device

• US 9,405,421 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2015
• Issued: 08/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Hotelling, Steven P.
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, VIET DAVID
• Application Number:
  US14/678,597
• Publication Number:
  US 20150212627A1
• Time in Patent Office: 487 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173
• 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 2203/04106 Multi-sensing digitiser, i.e. digitiser using at least two different sensing technologies simultaneously or alternatively, e.g. for detecting pen and finger, for saving power or for improving position detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0362 with detection of 1D translations or rotations of an operating part of the device, e.g. scroll wheels, sliders, knobs, rollers or belts
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
• 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

A mutual capacitive touch sensing device is disclosed. The device can include nodes for sensing a touch at the device and for sensing a force applied to the device. Some nodes can perform both touch and force sensing; while other nodes can perform touch sensing. The device can include distinct individual drive lines for driving the nodes and separate distinct individual sense lines for transmitting touch or force signals from the nodes. The nodes can form groups, where the nodes in each group can be coupled to the same drive line and to different sense lines and where each node in a group can be coupled to a node in a different group by the same sense line. Each node can be set up with a different combination of drive and sense lines coupled thereto. An example device can be a click wheel.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device comprising:

a first input-enabling element comprising a switch, the switch enabling generation of first input signals that activate the device,

a second input-enabling element enabling generation of second input signals, and

an input-enabling touch-sensitive display, the touch-sensitive display enabling generation of third input signals when an object touches or is moved across a surface of the touch-sensitive display and fourth input signals when an object applies pressure to the touch-sensitive display, wherein the input-enabling touch-sensitive display comprises a first sensor for generating at least some of the third input signals and a second sensor for generating at least some of the fourth input signals and at least a portion of the first sensor capacitively couples to at least a portion of the second sensor in response to a touch or a press on the input-enabling touch sensitive display.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the input-enabling touch-sensitive display comprises a flexible membrane.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the first sensor is disposed on a first side of the input-enabling touch-sensitive display and the second sensor is disposed on a second side of the input-enabling touch-sensitive display.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the input-enabling touch-sensitive display comprises a first set of sensors for generating at least some of the third input signals and a second set of sensors for generating at least some of the fourth input signals,

the first set of sensors includes the first sensor and the second set of sensors includes the second sensor,

the first set of sensors are disposed on a first side of the input-enabling touch-sensitive display,

the second set of sensors are disposed on a second side of the input-enabling touch-sensitive display, and

locations of the first set of sensors are aligned with locations of the second set of sensors.

5. The device of claim 1 comprising an input-enabling light-sensitive element, the light-sensitive element generating fifth input signals based on light input to the device.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the input-enabling light-sensitive element comprises a light sensor.

7. The portable device of claim 1, wherein multiple device functions are selectively enabled by simultaneous receipt of at least two of the first, second, third and fourth input signals.

8. The portable device of claim 1, wherein multiple device functions are selectively enabled by sequential receipt of at least two of the first, second, third and fourth input signals.

9. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the input-enabling touch-sensitive display comprises at least one of a resistive sensor, a pressure sensor, a force sensor, and a capacitive sensor.

10. The portable device of claim 1 comprising an output element that enables audio output in response to receipt of at least one of the first, second, third and fourth input signals.

11. The portable device of claim 1, wherein multiple device functions are selectively enabled by receipt of at least one of the first, second, third and fourth input signals.

12. The portable device of claim 11, wherein at least one of the multiple device functions comprises a scrolling function.

13. The portable device of claim 12, wherein the scrolling function comprises scrolling through a list.

14. The portable device of claim 11, wherein at least one of the multiple device functions is enabled by translational movement of at least one of the input-enabling elements.

15. The portable device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the multiple device functions is selectively enabled by simultaneous receipt of at least two of the first, second, third and fourth input signals.