Touch-sensor mesh design for display with complex-shaped sub-pixels

• US 9,454,252 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2014
• Issued: 09/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Atmel Corporation (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Inventors: Guard, David Brent
• Primary Examiner(s): Lao, Lun-Yi
• Assistant Examiner(s): McLoone, Peter D
• Application Number:
  US14/248,117
• Publication Number:
  US 20150234509A1
• Time in Patent Office: 903 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04112 Electrode mesh in capacitive digitiser: electrode for touch sensing is formed of a mesh of very fine, normally metallic, interconnected lines that are almost invisible to see. This provides a quite large but transparent electrode surface, without need for ITO or similar transparent conductive material
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• 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

Abstract

In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a touch sensor that includes a mesh of conductive material configured to extend across a display. The mesh includes multiple first lines and multiple second lines of conductive material. The first lines are substantially parallel to each other, and the second lines are substantially parallel to each other. The display includes multiple pixels that each include sub-pixels. Each of the pixels has a first pixel pitch (PP_x) along a first axis and a second pixel pitch (PP_y) along a second axis that is substantially perpendicular to the first axis. Each of the sub-pixels has a first sub-pixel pitch (SPP_x) along the first axis, and each of the sub-pixels has a complex shape that has an average sub-pixel dimension (SPD_y,AVG) along the second axis. The first lines are configured to extend across the display at a first angle relative to the first axis.

Claims

1. An apparatus that comprises:

a touch sensor that comprises a mesh of conductive material configured to extend across a display, wherein;

the mesh comprises a plurality of first lines and a plurality of second lines of conductive material, wherein;

the first lines are substantially parallel to each other; and

the second lines are substantially parallel to each other;

the display comprises a plurality of pixels that each comprise sub-pixels, wherein;

each of the pixels has a first pixel pitch (PP_x) along a first axis and a second pixel pitch (PP_y) along a second axis that is substantially perpendicular to the first axis;

each of the sub-pixels has a first sub-pixel pitch (SPP_x) along the first axis; and

each of the sub-pixels has a complex shape that has an average sub-pixel dimension (SPD_y,AVG) along the second axis;

the first lines are configured to extend across the display at a first angle relative to the first axis, wherein the first angle is approximately equal to the arctangent of

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

each of the complex-shaped sub-pixels comprises an upper edge having a non-uniform shape;

each of the complex-shaped sub-pixels has a minimum sub-pixel height that is a distance between a lower edge of the sub-pixel and a minimum-height feature of the upper edge;

each of the complex-shaped sub-pixels has a maximum sub-pixel height that is a distance between the lower edge of the sub-pixel and a maximum-height feature of the upper edge; and

the average sub-pixel dimension along the second axis is a value between the minimum sub-pixel height and the maximum sub-pixel height.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the average sub-pixel dimension along the second axis is an average of the minimum sub-pixel height and the maximum sub-pixel height.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the first pixel pitch is a distance between corresponding features of two adjacent pixels along the first axis;

the second pixel pitch is a distance between corresponding features of two adjacent pixels along the second axis; and

the first sub-pixel pitch is a distance between corresponding features of two adjacent sub-pixels along the first axis.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

first lines that are adjacent to each other are separated from each other along the first axis by a first-line horizontal separation distance that is within 1% of k×

PP_x, wherein k is a positive integer; and

second lines that are adjacent to each other are separated from each other along the first axis by a second-line horizontal separation distance that is within 1% of

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

first lines that are adjacent to each other are separated from each other along the first axis by a first-line horizontal separation distance that is within 1% of k×

PP_x, wherein k is a positive integer; and

second lines that are adjacent to each other are separated from each other along the first axis by a second-line horizontal separation distance that is within 1% of

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and second lines of conductive material form a plurality of mesh cells, each mesh cell having a diagonal length of approximately 265 μ

m to 340 μ

m.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the first angle is oriented counterclockwise relative to the first axis; and

the second angle is oriented clockwise relative to the first axis.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the first axis is horizontal;

the second axis is vertical;

the first pixel pitch along the first axis is a pixel width;

the second pixel pitch along the second axis is a pixel height; and

the average sub-pixel dimension along the second axis is an average sub-pixel height.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein one or more segments of one or more of the first or second lines are substantially sinusoidal.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the first pixel pitch and the second pixel pitch are approximately equal; and

the pixels are substantially square.

12. A touch sensor that comprises:

a mesh of conductive material configured to extend across a display, wherein;

the mesh comprises a plurality of first lines and a plurality of second lines of conductive material, wherein;

the first lines are substantially parallel to each other; and

the second lines are substantially parallel to each other;

the display comprises a plurality of pixels that each comprise sub-pixels, wherein;

each of the pixels has a first pixel pitch (PP_x) along a first axis and a second pixel pitch (PP_y) along a second axis that is substantially perpendicular to the first axis;

each of the sub-pixels has a first sub-pixel pitch (SPP_x) along the first axis; and

each of the sub-pixels has a complex shape that has an average sub-pixel dimension (SPD_y,AVG) along the second axis;

the first lines are configured to extend across the display at a first angle relative to the first axis, wherein the first angle is approximately equal to the arctangent of

13. The touch sensor of claim 12, wherein:

each of the complex-shaped sub-pixels comprises an upper edge having a non-uniform shape;

each of the complex-shaped sub-pixels has a minimum sub-pixel height that is a distance between a lower edge of the sub-pixel and a minimum-height feature of the upper edge;

each of the complex-shaped sub-pixels has a maximum sub-pixel height that is a distance between the lower edge of the sub-pixel and a maximum-height feature of the upper edge; and

the average sub-pixel dimension along the second axis is a value between the minimum sub-pixel height and the maximum sub-pixel height.

14. The touch sensor of claim 13, wherein the average sub-pixel dimension along the second axis is an average of the minimum sub-pixel height and the maximum sub-pixel height.

15. The touch sensor of claim 12, wherein:

the first pixel pitch is a distance between corresponding features of two adjacent pixels along the first axis;

the second pixel pitch is a distance between corresponding features of two adjacent pixels along the second axis; and

the first sub-pixel pitch is a distance between corresponding features of two adjacent sub-pixels along the first axis.

16. The touch sensor of claim 12, wherein:

first lines that are adjacent to each other are separated from each other along the first axis by a first-line horizontal separation distance that is within 1% of k×

PP_x, wherein k is a positive integer; and

second lines that are adjacent to each other are separated from each other along the first axis by a second-line horizontal separation distance that is within 1% of

17. The touch sensor of claim 12, wherein:

first lines that are adjacent to each other are separated from each other along the first axis by a first-line horizontal separation distance that is within 1% of k×

PP_x, wherein k is a positive integer; and

second lines that are adjacent to each other are separated from each other along the first axis by a second-line horizontal separation distance that is within 1% of

18. The touch sensor of claim 12, wherein the first and second lines of conductive material form a plurality of mesh cells, each mesh cell having a diagonal length of approximately 265 μ

m to 340 μ

m.

19. The touch sensor of claim 12, wherein one or more segments of one or more of the first or second lines are substantially sinusoidal.

20. A method comprising:

depositing on a substrate a mesh of conductive material that comprises a plurality of first lines and a plurality of second lines of conductive material configured to extend across a display, wherein;

the first lines are substantially parallel to each other;

the second lines are substantially parallel to each other;

the display comprises a plurality of pixels that each comprise sub-pixels, wherein;

each of the pixels has a first pixel pitch (PP_x) along a first axis and a second pixel pitch (PP_y) along a second axis that is substantially perpendicular to the first axis;

each of the sub-pixels has a first sub-pixel pitch (SPP_x) along the first axis; and

each of the sub-pixels has a complex shape that has an average sub-pixel dimension (SPD_y,AVG) along the second axis;

the first lines are configured to extend across the display at a first angle relative to the first axis, wherein the first angle is approximately equal to the arctangent of